KAREN HAUER is dancing on air ahead of her tenth series of Strictly Come Dancing

ON HER CELEBRITY PARTNERS AND HOPES TO BRING HOME THE GLITTERBALL IN HER TENTH YEAR

The

ballroom is not yet polished, the star contestants are still to be revealed and the spray tan is on order, but Strictly Come Dancing’s Karen Hauer can already claim a glittering new title: the show’s longest-running professional dancer.

“What’s happening? What is this? The longest-standing professional dancer!” she says with delight, joining hello! for our exclusive photoshoot and interview to celebrate the news.

“It’s flown by so quickly and it’s incredible. Every time I think about my partners, I just smile – the memories, the belly giggles.

“Remember when I wore a fruit bowl in my hair to dance a salsa with Dave Myers in frills? It was hilarious. Or pulling back a curtain on Jeremy Vine in the bath? Then wig-gate with Chris Ramsey and street dancing with Charles Venn?”

After making her Strictly debut with Westlife star Nicky Byrne in 2012, Karen, 39, has reached the final twice – with Mark Wright and Jamie Laing – and will this year embark on her tenth series. She already held the record for longestrunning female pro on the BBC’s hit show, but now fellow dancer Anton Du Beke has become a judge, she has the ultimate accolade.

And her passion for the show is as sparkling as ever. “With Strictly, you become part of the family,” she tells us. “When people come up to you in the street and recognise you and they’re thankful for the joy and entertainment you bring to them, that means a lot to me.”

CHA-CHA-CHANGES

Each series has brought her a new partner and also taken her on a journey of self-discovery. “When I look at the girl with the long black hair who joined Strictly in 2012, I want to tell her it’s all going to be okay – and it’s always been okay,” she says.

“I’ve always been pretty grounded from the get-go, but nobody really tells you just how grounded you need to be. Sometimes you have no idea what life is going to throw at you. The girl of 2012 is a different version of the woman I am now.

“Every year has felt like a layer has been peeled away and I know more about myself. I feel it’s been the evolution of Karen Hauer. I’m more confident in myself than I was back in 2012 and I’m sure of

‘I’m more confident in myself than I was in 2012. It’s been about discovering who I am, the person I want to be’

Getting ready to shake her tail feather, Karen is looking forward to her tenth series of Strictly Come Dancing as she is crowned its longeststanding professional dancer (far left)