Strictly Come Dancing star Karen Clifton celebrated her 37th birthday on Saturday with flowers, a positive attitude and a kind message from her ex-husband and former dance partner, Kevin Clifton.
© Photo: BBCKaren has been one of the Strictly professionals since 2012
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She posted a photo to Instagram that showed her looking blissed out in the sunshine as she breathed in the scent of a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers. She captioned it: "Feeling very special on my birthday, thank you for all your lovely messages #birthdaygirl #37 #what #sunflower #olderandwiser". Among the well wishes from friends and fans was a simple but sincere comment from Kevin, saying, “Happy Birthday U. Have a wicked one.”
© Photo: InstagramKaren turned 37 on Saturday
The pair split up in 2017 amid rumours of a romance between Kevin and Louise Redknapp, his celebrity partner that year, but they denied being more than friends. Despite their divorce, Karen and Kevin danced together on Strictly in 2018. Their amicable split makes a pleasant change from his relationship with another ex, his second wife Clare Craze, who accused him of being a “social climber” this week in an interview with The Daily Mail.
In 2018, Kevin was paired with documentary filmmaker and presenter Stacey Dooley, and the two took home the glitterball trophy – Kevin’s first win in six years on the show. They seemed so in tune that rumours of another romance started up, and this time Stacey’s former boyfriend Sam Tucknott blamed Kevin for their break-up, suggesting he saw a text that the dancer sent to Stacey which read: "I love dancing with you and spending every minute I can with you."
© Photo: BBCKevin partnered Stacey Dooley on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018
Stacey, who is currently filming in Colorado, has so far refused to respond to Sam’s accusations, although on Monday she took to Twitter to share her dismay at the coverage of their split, writing: “Anyone with any adult life experience knows there are two sides to every story. I haven't got the time or energy to correct some of the utter nonsense I've read on here. Re Sam, I loved him v much and only wish him happiness and success going forward."
READ MORE: Kevin Clifton speaks out following Stacey Dooley romance rumours
Kevin has also declined to explain the situation but told The Mirror that he finds the attention he’s received difficult to cope with at times. “There have been a lot of things thrown at me. At times I’ve struggled,” he admitted.
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