Karen Clifton has claimed she and husband Kevin are “happy” following widespread rumours that their marriage was in trouble.
The Strictly Come Dancing professionals, who married in 2015, have endured endless speculation over the last few months that they were on the verge of splitting.
It was even reported they’d spent Christmas separately, on opposite sides of the world.
However, in a new interview with the Sunday Mirror, pro dancer Karen said the couple are “happy” and working together on a new tour, which starts in May.
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She said: “We are really excited and we are creating right now and just talking through everything.”
Referring to the non-stop headlines about her marriage, Karen added: “People are going to be interested but at the end of the day we are happy.”
Karen and Kevin’s marriage came under the spotlight at the end of last year, when it was alleged they had fallen victim to the infamous “Strictly curse”.
It was suggested the distance between them was a factor, as Kevin trained in Scotland with his dance partner Susan Calman while Karen and Simon Rimmer were in Manchester.
But Karen later told The Sun that they were just a normal couple who row like everyone else – the only difference is they are in the public eye.
She said: “We’re a regular couple, we’ve been together for seven years, and like any other relationship, you have ups and downs. Nothing is perfect.
“We just need to keep pushing. Relationships take work. It’s not as easy as you think, especially being in a job like Strictly.”
Karen and Kevin’s tour, Kevin and Kevin Dance, kicks off on 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.”
They said recently: “We’ve been working for such a long time to get our own tour off the ground and we didn’t know how the first one was going to be received, and much to our delight it went better than we could have dreamed of!
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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.
“Doing our own tour is a dream come true and we can’t wait to come back with something totally new and exciting.”
Let’s hope 2018 is a good year for the Cliftons.