The Strictly curse strikes again!
DWTS viewers were entranced by their sizzling chemistry, so when it comes to Jake and Karen, it’s no surprise that...
THE sizzling chemistry was undeniable and the nation watched enthralled during this year’s Dancing With The Stars as the on-screen magic between heart-throb Jake Carter and his dance coach Karen Byrne intensified by the week.
From their opening steamy salsa to Reggaeton Lento to their passionate showdance to Hardwell’s Mad World — which clinched them the title — there was no doubt who would be taking home the Glitterball trophy. But the big question on everyone’s lips was would they be taking it home together?
In one online video filmed during their rehearsals, Jake wore Karen’s jacket and their lively banter and constant teasing revealed the Dubliner and Scouser were very much at ease in each other’s company. At the time, both Jake and Karen laughed off speculation of a romance brewing.
International ballroom champion Karen was, after all, coupled up with her longterm boyfriend and dance partner Wotjek Potaszkin, with whom she also ran a dance school in Palmerstown, near her native Ballyfermot, since 2010.
Karen’s Polish boyfriend even joined Karen and Jake during their taxing training sessions for the contest. As bubbly Karen put it in an interview back in January: ‘He whips Jake’s ass too. He gives him the manly touches.’
But this week came the bombshell that Karen, 24, had split from Wotjek some time ago and is now dating 19year-old Jake. A source said Karen and Wotjek remained good friends and were still running their dance school together.
But within days of the split, in a heartbreaking Facebook post, Wotjek wrote: ‘With a very heavy heart — after a beautiful five years full of love, loyalty, hard work and honesty I am left with no choice and will no longer work under the umbrella of “Karen & Wojtek School of Dance”.’
He added: ‘This week of lessons and exams under my own name will go ahead as planned. I’m still fully available to all of you individually. My own school will open shortly, for the details contact me in private. I love you all, Wojtek.’
Over at Palmerstown Sports Centre, home to the popular Karen & Wojtek School of Dance, a member said she’d heard Wojtek would continue with his own dance school at the centre but Karen had left. Rumours are also flying that Karen is setting up a dance school with Jake.
‘I feel so bad now as I used to slag and tease Wojtek off in here when Karen was on the telly with Jake, saying to watch them two...’ the local confesses.
So has the infamous ‘Strictly Curse’ finally reached Irish shores? In Britain, for millions of Strictly Come Dancing fans, the lure of the show is as much about how hot the contestants are for one another as it is for what they do on the dancefloor.
And the never-ending drama of the romances, break-ups and scandals between dancers is as much of a draw as the quickstep and glittery costumes.
Right from the get-go, as celebrities are coupled up with their invariably drop-dead gorgeous and impossibly lithe professional partners, the gossipy tongues in homes around the country start wagging to the tune of ‘Will they, won’t they?’
And not without good reason — they’ve been watching long enough to know they can expect plenty of casualties of the Strictly Curse.
Not that we should be surprised. Strictly, just like Dancing with the Stars, involves locking up gorgeous, fit strangers into a room together for marathon hot and sweaty dance sessions, for up to ten hours a day for weeks on end. If that doesn’t form a close bond, nothing will.
And that’s not to mention how the gruelling training schedules and demands must impact on any offscreen relationships.
In Britain, the curse has got so bad, hearing your other half is about to go on the show must strike terror into the heart of any partner forced to watch from the sidelines, who hopes to hold on to their sweetheart once the end credits roll.
Over 15 series of Strictly, about a dozen couples have split up around or not long after appearing on the show — with many falling into their dance partner’s arms.
The curse began in 2004 when newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky and professional dancer Brendan Cole had an affair while still taking part in the show. Given Brendan was with fellow Strictly dancer Camilla Dallerup at the time, the scandal blew up the ratings and the couple left their partners to be with one another after the show, although the love didn’t last.
Then there’s hot-blooded Italian Flavia Cacace, one dancer who can’t seem to shake off the curse — or blessing, depending on who you talk to. In the 2007 show, EastEnders star Matt Di Angelo fell for the hotblooded Italian Flavia, who was also smitten and split with her boyfriend and professional dance partner.
But fast forward to 2010 and Flavia found herself partnered up with another soap star, Coronation Street’s Jimi Mistry. Although Flavia was still with Matt, her chemistry with Jimi was off the charts and remained that way until their wedding day in 2013.
Similarly, there’s the ‘Strictly siren’ Kristina Rihanoff, who was paired with Daniel O’Donnell in the 2015 series. Don’t worry — of course, Daniel stayed faithful to his beloved Majella, but Kristina had relationships with both her 2009 partner Joe Calzaghe and her 2013 partner Ben Cohen, who eventually left his wife of 23 years for her.
But it’s not all scandal — for many, like Louise Redknapp, the intensity and passion of the show is simply a real wake-up call. Louise was a show favourite and the 2016 runner-up but by the following year she’d divorced from ex-footballer Jamie after 19 years of marriage.
Viewers like to pat themselves on the back if they call the relationship before it’s made public, and as Jake and Karen spent more and more time together, their friendship and the chemistry between them grew to levels that were hard to ignore.
Overtaking his country singer brother Nathan Carter in the ‘most eligible bachelor’ stakes, the dark and handsome 19-year-old has teenagers swooning at his concerts and the sexy, smouldering routines with Karen merely upped his sex appeal.
But Ballyfermot girl and dance champ Karen — who has been competing internationally since she was 15 — is not only a gifted and gorgeous dancer, she has the gift of the gab and a sparkling personality to boot.
During the first series, she bewitched the nation along with her dance partner Des Cahill, who couldn’t praise her coaching skills enough. The couple blew the roof off with their routines, including the saucy ‘Dessie Swim’ move during their Austin Powers dance.
Going into her second series, Karen confessed: ’It can be a bit nervewracking because you’re saying hopefully I get someone that I can connect with just as well.’
She needn’t have worried — from the off, there was no doubting the connection between Karen and Jake. In YouTube and TV videos it was clear the pair had clicked. They teased and ribbed one another and were very at ease.
Jake admitted early on to falling
The passion of the show is a wake-up call Over 15 series, a dozen couples have split
under Karen’s spell. When asked by a reporter if he had a secret crush on his partner, Jake confessed: ‘who doesn’t?’
In another interview, he raved: ‘We just get on so well, we’ve really clicked. We’ve been putting in 12hour days together so it makes it so much easier that we get on. I’ve never laughed as much. I’ve made a friend for life there.’
But back then, with Wotjek very much on the scene, Jake insisted he was ‘single and ready to mingle’.
Karen was also quick to pour cold water on talk of a romance. But being the straight-talker she is, she did admit: ‘I am not going to lie, he [Jake] is gorgeous and every-one looks at him and says the same thing.’
But a summer is a long time in showbusiness. One can only imagine Wotjek must be reeling at the news, especially as his ex’s budding attraction was played out so publicly. Yet he remains stoic and politely declined to make any comment about the split.
Neither Karen nor Jake were available to comment but according to Jake’s manager Conor Mulhall, they are taking things very slowly and have only been on a few dates.
Conor says: ‘It’s all fairly new — they’re together a few weeks and have only been on a few dates as they’re both so busy with Jake writing and in rehearsals and getting ready for his tour and Karen running her own projects. They’re taking it very slow and seeing how it goes.
‘They’ve been great friends since meeting on the show and saw each other for coffee and lunch during the summer and obviously their feelings have developed since then.’
For the Dancing With the Stars grand final, Jake’s mum, dad, nan, grandad, brother Nathan and his best friend Paul all flew over from England — so how has Karen gone down with granny?
Conor laughs: ‘Oh it’d want to be fairly serious before Jake brought someone home to see his nana.’
But Conor also revealed Jake was cautious about taking his relationship with Karen public as he felt people might see it as a publicity stunt.
‘The first thing he said when it came out was it was going to look like he wants the publicity,’ says Conor. ‘But he doesn’t want to talk about it too much — he wants to keep his private life private. This is all new to him.’
In about a month’s time, the celebrity names for the third series of Dancing With The Stars will start to be revealed to the public.
And while the new crop’s dance partners may be feeling apprehensive about who they have to lead through steps, after this latest news, their at-home partners will likely be just as nervous...
‘They’ve only been on a few dates’