Who is Karen Hauer? Strictly Come Dancing 2019 professional dancer guide
Strictly veteran Karen is waltzing into her eighth year on Strictly, after she and former partner Kevin Clifton confirmed they would both be returning to the show
Strictly Come Dancing 2019 professionals: Karen Clifton
Age: 37
From: Venezuela
Twitter: @karen_hauer
Instagram: karencliftonofficial
Strictly wins: 0. After seven years of Strictly, Karen has barely inched close to the Glitterball trophy. The best she did was when she placed fourth with Mark Wright in 2014.
Which Strictly celebrity is Karen Clifton's paired with this year?
Karen's new partner is comedian Chris Ramsey - with the pair likely to have a lot of laughs both on set and off.
Which Strictly celebrity was Karen Clifton paired with last year?
Actor Charles Venn.
Who is Karen Clifton?
2019 marks Karen’s eighth year as a Strictly senorita, and she’s had something of a mixed fortune with her dance partners over the years.
Although making it to fourth place with Mark Wright in 2014 was a highlight, perhaps less so was finishing 10th place with Dave Myers in 2013.
Broadcaster Jeremy Vine and former Westlife singer Nicky Byrne also partnered Karen, and in 2016 her celebrity dancer was Will Young.
Although there were high hopes for the pair to go far in the competition, Will announced he was quitting the show owing to "personal reasons" after three weeks.
After leaving Strictly, he revealed that it was an existing struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder that had led to him quitting the show and that he had even considered breaking his own legs to get out of dancing.
Karen will be returning for Strictly 2019 despite splitting from partner and fellow Strictly pro Kevin in March 2018.
Karen was born in Valencia, Venezuela and took up dancing after moving to New York when she was just eight-years-old. Soon after she won a scholarship to the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance where she studied African, contemporary and ballet before moving on to ballroom and Latin at 19.
Since then she’s worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, and has won some of the biggest dancing awards out there: she was declared World Mambo Champion in 2008 and Professional American Rhythm Rising Star Champion in 2009.
