Strictly Come Dancing’s Karen and Kevin Clifton have insisted they’re still “best friends” despite ending their marriage.
The professional dancers confirmed last week they have split following three years of marriage.
They are scheduled to tour together later this year which, of course, led to speculation it could all be very awkward on the road…
There was also an unconfirmed rumour that the pair were seen looking “frosty” with each other on a flight last year.
But appearing together on BBC Breakfast on Monday, the former couple insisted they’re the best of friends and, if anything, their professional working relationship is stronger than ever.
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BBC Breakfast co-host Dan Walker addressed their marriage split at the start of the interview, saying they should “get the elephant in the room out there”.
Explaining why they went public about their split, Kevin, 35, said: “We just thought because there has been so much speculation, it’s best to be honest with everyone and not be scared of it, really.
“Privately our situation has changed but professionally we’re still dancing together and stronger than ever, really. As I said the other day, dancing is the glue that holds us together and it’s how we met and we’re excited to go on tour.
“Since we’ve been upfront and honest about everything it’s unlocked this new creativity and new ideas coming out. As performers, you want to come from a place of truth, so it has unlocked all this new stuff we’re excited about.”
Karen, 35, then said: “It hasn’t changed our chemistry and passion on the dance floor.
“If anything, we’re still best friends and we care about each other and respect each other as performers. This guy is amazing. I can’t believe sometimes I’m dancing with him!
“The energy we want to bring and the positivity. And from the fans as well. They’ve always supported us and it’s great to hear their feedback and to see them coming to support us. It’s fantastic.”
Kevin and Karen confirmed their split during an interview on Chris Evans’ BBC Radio 2 show last week.
It came after months of speculation over the state of their relationship.
“There’s been a lot of talk about me and Karen, a lot of speculation going on,” said Kevin.
“I think a lot of people are usually quite afraid to talk about these things but we’ve always felt the best thing is to be honest with everyone and upfront and respectful to our fans, and everyone who comes out to support us.
“So we wanted to let everyone know that privately we are not together anymore but professionally we are stronger than ever before.”
Despite their split, the former couple are continuing to work together professionally. Their new tour kicks off in May and will visit 37 venues across the UK and Ireland.
It’s been described as a “high-energy” evening filled with “sassy tunes, sparkling costumes, compelling storytelling and heart-pounding choreography.”
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“We were so overwhelmed by all the messages we received from people asking us to come to parts of the country that we weren’t able to on our 2017 tour, so we are thrilled that our 2018 tour is taking in more dates and more venues around the country,” they said.
“Doing our own tour is a dream come true and we can’t wait to come back with something totally new and exciting.”
We’ll see you there, guys!
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