Strictly's Karen Hauer was 'bed bound with grief' after Kevin Clifton split

15 July 2023 , 23:14

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Strictly's Karen Hauer was 'bed bound with grief' after Kevin Clifton split

Karen Hauer has credited her dog for helping her pick up her life when she was left devastated by the collapse of her marriage to Kevin Clifton.

The 41-year-old Strictly Come Dancing star was married to fellow professional dancer Kevin, 40, from 2015 until 2018.

Looking back on the end of their relationship, Karen admits that she was bed bound with grief and refused to see anyone while she mulled over her failed marriage.

Hinting that she struggled with her mental health while dealing with the end of her marriage, Karen says that having a pet dog kept her from succumbing to her grief entirely.

Karen Hauer has opened up about the collapse of her marriage to Kevin Clifton (WireImage)

Opening up to The Sun, Karen explained: “Betty saved my life, pretty much. Having that unconditional love and having her there to help me actually get up out of bed.

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“My dog doesn’t judge me. She just looked at me and sat with me and she would pee if she needed to, which then told me that she needed to go outside.

“‘Take me outside then I won’t pee in the house! Take me out. Get some fresh air’.”

She went on to explain that Betty essentially became like her therapist as she processed her grief.

And Karen joked that Betty - who she adopted through pet charity Wild At Heart - may now need therapy herself after listening to her express her woes.

Karen explained that she felt she was left to deal with her divorce on her own and in the spotlight when her marriage to Kevin collapsed in 2018 - which was the same year she adopted Betty from Romania.

Karen has since found happiness with 33-year-old fitness professional Jordan Wyn-Jones, who she began dating in 2021 and married the following year.

Discussing their fairytale wedding in June last year, Karen told Hello!: “It was exactly what we had envisioned – but even better. It was like a breath of fresh air for us.

“Having recently been on tour with Strictly, I couldn’t talk about the wedding out loud, it felt precious to have our little secret in our back pocket, but it’s nice to come out and say ‘Hey, we’re married.'”

Karen is now happily married to Jordan Jones Williams (Getty)

And Jordan was excited to discuss the nuptials too, telling the publication: The second I turned around and caught a glimpse of her, I started welling up. It was something I’d been looking forward to for a while. She looked incredible.”

Karen and Jordan keep their marriage relatively low key and rarely plug their romance online.

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The pair gave a rare glimpse into their blissful married life last October, sharing videos and snaps of themselves kissing and enjoying wine together while at home.

Mirror.co.uk