Kevin And Karen Clifton To Divorce After Three Years Of Marriage, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Pros Confirm

The couple are still set to head out on tour together.
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Strictly Come Dancing’ professionals Kevin and Karen Clifton have announced they’ve split up after months of speculation.

The couple, who married in July 2015, confirmed they have gone their separate ways during an interview on Chris Evans’ Radio 2 breakfast show on Thursday morning (15 March).

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Karen and Kevin have been married for three years.
Gareth Cattermole via Getty Images

Kevin said: “We just wanted to let everyone know that privately we are not together anymore but professionally we are stronger than ever before.

“Dance is how we came together and is the glue that has held us together for years now. We’ve danced on Broadway, the West End, we have five Strictly finals between us.

“We’re still the best of friends – we’ve got a lot of love and respect for each other. I still see Karen pretty much every day...we’re always throwing ideas around and putting things together creatively.

“What we’ve found is that since we’ve been honest with each other about our relationship, we’ve unlocked this new wealth of creativity and we’re taking our professional relationship to the next level now.”

Karen added: “We have such great chemistry and for us it’s all about the storytelling and giving the best performance and entertaining and inspiring.

“At the end of the day it’s about giving back to our fans and we love dancing together so much. We’re feeling very positive and it’s going to be one of the best tours.”

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Jeff Spicer via Getty Images

Rumours that the couple’s marriage was on the rocks first surfaced in November last year, when Kevin apologised to Karen live on ‘Strictly’.

After he and his partner Susan Calman were voted off the BBC ballroom show, Kevin used his exit speech to thank Karen for “putting up with him”. 

He said: “When ‘Strictly’ is on I’m not the easiest person to live with, I go a bit mad so I’d like to say first of all thanks to my wife for putting up with me.”

She said: “We’re just a regular couple, we’ve been together for seven years and like any other relationship you have your ups and downs and nothing is ever perfect so you make it work.”

During their interview with Chris Evans, the couple also took the opportunity to announce they are set to tour the UK together this year.

They also revealed that they’d both love to return to ‘Strictly’ when the new series kicks off in October.

Kevin said: “We don’t know yet… we hope to. We get told at the end of the year. If they were to ask back then we’d both be delighted to go back. We love Strictly.”

13 times the Strictly "curse" struck
Rachel Riley(01 of13)
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The Countdown presenter announced her split from her husband just weeks after her stint on the show. In 2014, she and pro dancer Pasha Kovalev confirmed they were dating, though she remained insistent that Strictly had nothing to do with her marriage split.

Rachel and Pasha later tied the knot and now have two children together, with the TV personality recently trying to distance herself from Strictly's so-called "curse".
(credit:Joe Giddens/PA Archive)
Susanna Reid(02 of13)
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Susanna's marriage ended in February 2014, weeks after she finished as a runner-up in the competition. The Good Morning Britain anchor continued to live with her ex, Dominic Cotton, and their two sons in the months that followed. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)
Louise Redknapp(03 of13)
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After reaching the final of the 2016 series, Louise began to be plagued with rumours her 19-year marriage to former footballer Jamie Redknapp was on the rocks. Months later, the couple confirmed they had gone their separate ways. (credit:Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)
Joe Calzaghe(04 of13)
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Boxer Joe and pro dancer Kristina Rihanoff initally denied romance rumours when they were paired together in 2009. However Joe split from his girlfriend just weeks later. Joe and Kristina later confirmed that they were a couple, before splitting after four years together. (credit:Mark Cuthbert via Getty Images)
Ben Cohen(05 of13)
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While on the show, Ben denied rumours that he was romancing his pro partner Kristina, and later split from his wife Abby. He and Kristina went on to confirm their relationship but remained insistent it had only begun after the breakdown of his marriage. The couple now have a child together. (credit:Steve Thorne via Getty Images)
Matt Di Angelo(06 of13)
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The EastEnders star reportedly first hooked up with Flavia Cacace during their time dancing together on the 2008 series – on which Flavia's then-boyfriend Vincent Simone was also a dancer. However, they weren't together for long... (credit:Jon Furniss via Getty Images)
Jimi Mistry(07 of13)
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Just a year after getting together with Matt, Flavia ended the relationship after finding love with her new dance partner Jimi. The couple married in 2013. (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
Natasha Kaplinsky (08 of13)
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Newsreader Natasha and Brendan were plagued by romance rumours when they were paired up for the first ever series of Strictly in 2004. Despite being insistent that they were just friends, Natasha and Brendan both split from their partners shortly after winning the series. (credit:MJ Kim via Getty Images)
Daisy Lowe(09 of13)
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Daisy split from her boyfriend Bradley "Frankie" Wade during her stint on Strictly in 2016. The relationship was still quite new and the pair struggled to find the time to see each other with her commitments to the show. (credit:PA Archive/PA Images)
Sunetra Sarker(10 of13)
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Sunetra split from her husband of 10 years just before filming for the 2014 series began. (credit:Eamonn M. McCormack via Getty Images)
Dani Harmer (11 of13)
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Tracey Beaker star Dani split from her boyfriend just days after filming began in 2012. (credit:John Phillips via Getty Images)
Helen George(12 of13)
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Just after Helen announced she was one of the 2015 contestants, the Call The Midwife actor revealed she was splitting from her husband of four years, Oliver Boot. (credit:Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)
Georgia May Foote(13 of13)
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Georgia entered Strictly while in a relationship with former Coronation Street co-star Sean Ward. However, just after the series ended, the couple announced their split, and it wasn't long before she embarked on a relationship with dance partner Giovanni Pernice. They eventually broke up after less than a year together. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)