Karen Hauer has spoken about her exit from Strictly Come Dancing (Image: Getty)
Karen Hauer’s departure from Strictly Come Dancing after 14 years on the programme, amid a dramatic overhaul ahead of the 2026 series, left fans reeling.
Yet in an exclusive interview, in which she speaks publicly about her surprising exit for the very first time, she reveals she is embracing whatever lies ahead.
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The professional dancer, 44, had become a cornerstone of the beloved BBC show. She was the longest-serving female professional, having graced the iconic dance floor alongside celebrities including Mark Wright and Jamie Laing – reaching the final with both – as well as the late Hairy Biker Dave Myers, whom she once described as her most “cherished” partnership. It comes as little surprise, then, that the announcement in March that she was stepping down sparked an outpouring of emotion.
“It was very emotional, but it did feel like I was ready to get my teeth stuck into other projects and continue evolving. I learned so much from every single celebrity that I came across,” she told the Mirror. “It’s always about growth. It was a beautiful decision that came from a good place in my heart.”
The Venezuelan-American, who is a Latin dance specialist and World Mambo Champion, chose to keep her plans under wraps from virtually everyone, including her fellow professional dancers, confiding only in her closest friends – fully aware that others would have done everything in their power to persuade her to remain.
“I didn’t say anything because I know it would have been hard for them to digest and they’d have been like, ‘No, definitely no, not you,” she laughs. “I kept it within my tightest circle. But you know what? When I announced it, I’ve never felt such an outpouring of love. So many people were reaching out to me, and just being so kind.”
Karen’s departure is amongst several ahead of the forthcoming series, with presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman also stepping down, alongside a host of other professionals bidding farewell to the programme, including Gorka Márquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas. Meanwhile, Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe are poised to breathe fresh life into the show as its new presenting trio.
Karen believes Strictly will carry on flourishing. “Even before I was on the show, when we saw Bruce Forsyth leave and then Len Goodman, it’s always got bigger and better – that’s the beauty of it,” she says. “Now, there’s new energy coming in. The next generation is only going to lift it even more.”
Karen was a fan-favourite on Strictly (Image: Getty Images)
Karen says she is thrilled to see where the significantly revamped team steers the programme. “I’ll be watching, 100%. And I know I’ll miss the people – the camera crew, hair and make-up, the costume ladies, our runners, the producers that make the show work.”
She’ll also miss her fellow professionals, with whom she confesses she adopted a nurturing, motherly role. “Ah, my professional dancers – my kids!” she says affectionately. “I felt like I was a mother goose and everybody was always so beautiful backstage. I’ll miss the dance floor when it was all quiet and there was nobody around and we were all rehearsing with no lights. Just us there.”
She adds, somewhat wistfully, “Strictly will always be my home, you know? I will always have a deep connection to it, no matter what.”
Karen has exciting plans for the future (Image: Doug Peters/PA Wire)
Karen is set to tour the UK this summer in a reimagined production of uplifting comedy Stepping Out, which chronicles a seemingly disparate group of amateur tap dancers preparing for a charity gala performance. She’ll portray Mavis, the troupe’s instructor – a character previously brought to life by Tamzin Outhwaite in 2017, and by the iconic Liza Minnelli in the 1991 film adaptation.
Reflecting on all the famous personalities she’s guided through their dancing journeys, Karen believes the role is perfectly suited to her. “It just fell into my lap at exactly the right time, after closing a massive chapter of my life with Strictly,” she says.
“The fact that Mavis is a dance teacher, dealing with so many different personalities and stories just resonated with me so much.”
This is far from the star’s first encounter with the stage. Over the years, she has earned widespread acclaim in both the West End and on Broadway. “I’ve always loved theatre,” she says. “I mean, live TV and stage shows are equally nerve-wracking, but when you’re on TV, it’s a one-hit wonder because you don’t get to repeat, you just have to perform and leave it there. In theatre, you evolve each time within the character.
“When you’re doing a show like Strictly, there’s a certain part of you that you protect,” she adds. “It’s okay to hold back certain things about yourself, to protect yourself in a way. That’s completely okay. I think that’s how you need to be to be able to function. Acting is a completely different demon.”
Karen is also set to join fellow Strictly professional Nikita Kuzmin in his spectacular Burn The Floor production, Supernova. The brainchild of Strictly’s director of choreography Jason Gilkison, she says the show will forever hold a cherished place in her heart, having served as the principal female dancer in the original Broadway cast before touring the globe with the ground-breaking production.
“I turned into the performer I was always meant to be because of Jason and Burn The Floor. He gave me that confidence, that belief in myself,” she tells us. “Nikita’s energy and charisma is just… beyond. I did not see it coming, so it was really nice to be asked. It’s almost like going home again.”
