Strictly Come Dancing star Karen Hauer has opened up about "the most difficult thing" she has ever experienced - her divorce from ex-husband Kevin Clifton.
During a chat with The Sun, the 41-year-old – who ended her three-year marriage to Kevin in 2018 – confessed she "struggled to get out of bed" when news of their split came out in the public domain.
"I am a professional dancer, and I am structured and I am disciplined," she shared. "But when emotional things happen to you, nothing you do on the outside helps. I went through a really tough divorce, and it was the most difficult thing I've faced on my own — and, I guess, in a spotlight."
Karen's full focus went towards her adopted pet Betty, a rescue dog from Bosnia – something which she credits aided in her recovery. "Betty saved my life, pretty much," she explained. "Having that unconditional love and having her there to help me actually get up out of bed. My dog doesn't judge me."
Karen has previously spoken out on the heartache following her split from fellow pro dancer Kevin. Speaking on The Divorce Club podcast with host Samantha Baines in 2021, the Venezuelan pro surprisingly confessed that "things got really nasty overnight" after becoming "jealous" for not getting enough attention from her partner.
MORE: Kevin Clifton's ex-wife Karen Hauer makes rare comment about marriage
© Photo: Getty ImagesAdmitting it was hard to let go of her ex, Karen explained: "Obviously, other things happen, there are other factors that happened, that really hurt us both. But I thought... I would have never let go of it.
"I wouldn't have never, never let go of it. I would have liked to have fought for it. It took me a year after we separated to actually let go of him."
The choreographer confessed she "learned a huge lesson" from their split and claimed the attention from the public made her "stronger".
© Instagram"It took me a long time to cut the umbilical cord that I had connected to him," she continued. "Because it was connected for such a long time and at a completely different level than my first marriage because this marriage was what I was always looking for. But I learned a lot. Huge lessons for me.
"Because of that breakup and what I had to go through emotionally, physically work-wise and in the public eye - it made me stronger, and it made me realise what I really need to work on, and that was me."
The star added: "I had to work with him for two, three years after we got separated and it was hard because you can see how much love you have for one another, and the respect."
Since parting ways, Kevin has found love with his 2018 celebrity partner Stacey Dooley and the couple are now parents to a daughter called Minnie, while Karen married fitness professional Jordan Wyn-Jones last year, in a wedding exclusively covered in HELLO!.
