Inside Strictly’s Karen and Kevin Clifton’s marriage woes that are threatening her place on the show
Another Strictly couple takes their final bow
Ah, that accursed Strictly ballroom – will it ever stop destroying relationships? This time it’s one of our favourite professional duos, Kevin and Karen Clifton, who have fallen victim to the curse, after it was reported that Karen was dating somebody else.
Last week, amid reports their two-year marriage was in trouble, Karen was pictured out with 27-year-old accountant Stuart Wood. According to our insider, the pair have become very close and, despite Karen still being pictured wearing her wedding ring, we’re told, “Karen’s admitted to her close friends and the Strictly cast that she and Kevin have been finished for a year. She says she sees him more as a friend than her husband. Kevin is heartbroken, because it was only last year they were talking about starting a family. They both said they were ready for it. But now his whole future has been shattered.”
Last month, after being eliminated from the competition alongside his celeb partner Susan Calman, Kevin, 35, paid a heartfelt tribute to Karen, also 35, who was watching from the wings with fellow cast members. It was said at the time that, with the pro dancer having spent so many days per week rehearsing in Susan’s hometown of Glasgow, the couple’s relationship had suffered from the long distance. Surely, then, they could now use their extra free time to repair their relationship?
Unfortunately not. Our insider continues, “Karen’s friends thought they were going to announce she was pregnant because she’d been quite on edge. But it turns out all the mystery and tension in the air was actually because she’d been dating another man. Kevin’s trying to play it down, because he wants counselling, not a divorce.
“He’s told friends he’s struggling to let her go. But he wants to try and remain friends – something Karen is keen on as well.”
Now, despite the couple’s best attempts to hide their problems on camera, we’re told that the tabloid interest in their troubled marriage has raised concern among Strictly bigwigs.
“Producers are faced with the possibility of Karen leaving the show if they don’t sort it out,” our source tells us. “It’s bad PR for a family programme. It’s had a huge effect on the cast, too, as they feel they’ve had to take sides, but they also hate seeing how much pain Kevin is in. It’s all so sad.”