Karen Carney found herself to be the latest Strictly star hit with backlash after her dance background was revealed to the world.
For quite some time, Strictly viewers believed Amber Davies and Lewis Cope were the only contestants with a dancing background this year. And for weeks they have faced intense backlash.
But recently, Karen Carney has been outed for having dance experience before Strictly. And many weren’t happy that it was public knowledge.
However, speaking exclusively to Entertainment Daily on behalf of Paddy Power, former Strictly pro Vincent Simone, told us that he isn’t too bothered by the revelation. And it actually doesn’t mean she has an edge on anyone.
Vincent Simone defends Strictly star
When asked about her dance experience, Vincent explained: “I didn’t know that Karen had a dancing background. You can see how training helps, but it can also work against you because ballroom is such a specific technique. Other styles don’t compare.
“Honestly, everyone I meet has done a bit of ballet or tap when they were young, so I don’t see it as a big problem.”
In reality, Vincent thinks because her entire career was completely different to dance, then she probably still wouldn’t have the same skills.
He explained: “Karen had a completely different career. And you lose a lot of those dance skills. You can see she is learning new styles every week. She is doing amazingly well.”
This weekend, Karen will be performing a Salsa and a Waltz – the exact same dances that Balvinder will also perform during the Strictly semi-final.
Does Karen Carney have dance experience?
It wasn’t until recently that anyone even knew Karen had dance experience before Strictly.
She explained in an interview that she attended Steptoes Dance School and she would go “three or four times a week” and would even “compete in some big events”.
Karen said: “I enjoyed football when I was a kid and had loads of kickabouts. But I didn’t join my first club until I was 11. Until then, it was all about dancing for me. We did loads of different routines and genres of music; street dancing, hip-hop, disco, rock ‘n roll, slow dancing, team dances, everything.
“But when I started doing football and dancing, things got a bit hectic.” So, after continuing to do both until she was 15, and competing most Sunday’s, Karen decided to give up her dancing shoes and purely on her football career.
So, just like Amber and Lewis, Karen has been trained in some elements of dance. But it’s worth remembering that none of them have been trained in ballroom. So, each week they really are learning something different.
And after Lewis’ shock departure last weekend, just because you may have been on a dance-floor before, does not mean you are safe on Strictly…
Read more: Strictly fans concerned ‘broken’ Katya Jones will quit BBC dance show following her emotional exit
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