Following weeks of speculation, Karen Clifton has broken her silence on the state of her marriage. The Strictly Come Dancing star confirmed that she and her husband Kevin Clifton are still very "happy" together, and said that they are both looking forward to going on their dance tour in May. Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, the 35-year-old revealed: "Kevin and I start our own tour in May which we are really looking forward to. We are really excited and we are creating right now and just talking through everything."
Karen and Kevin Clifton have been married since 2015
When prompted to discuss their relationship, she replied: "We are in an amazing family show on Strictly and at the end of the day we love what we do. People are going to be interested but at the end of the day we are happy." The comments come shortly after Kevin was spotted without his wedding ring for the first time, amid rumours that the couple had split. The professional dancer, who is currently touring the UK as part of the Strictly tour, was seen with a noticeably bare hand in a video posted on Gemma Atkinson's Instagram page.
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Karen and Kevin, who tied the knot in 2015, have been plagued by reports of marital problems ever since the Strictly finale, when they didn't dance together. It's believed that Kevin, also 35, spent Christmas without Karen, who went back to US to be with her family. Earlier this month, Karen was pictured still wearing her wedding ring when she attended a special screening of the new Disney film Coco. Before the rumours, Kevin apologised live on-air for being "difficult" during his time on the show with Susan Calman. "When Strictly is on I'm not the easiest person to live with," he said. "I go a bit mad. So I'd like to say first of thanks to my wife for putting up with me."
READ: Kevin Clifton spotted without wedding ring for first time amid marital woes