Karen Hauer (formerly Clifton; born 20 April 1982) is a Venezuelan–American professional Latin dance specialist and World Mambo Champion, best known for appearing on the British television series Strictly Come Dancing. She was the longest-serving female professional dancer on the show, appearing from 2012 until 2025. She also featured on the American TV series So You Think You Can Dance and was a principal dancer in the touring live dance show Burn the Floor.
So You Think You Can Dance In 2009, Hauer auditioned for season 6 of the US reality show So You Think You Can Dance. She originally auditioned with her husband at the time, Matthew Hauer, but he was eliminated during Vegas week while Karen moved on to the top 20. WeekPartnerStyleMusicChoreographer(s)Results1Kevin Hunte Cha-Cha "Push It"—Glee Cast Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin Safe2 Hip-Hop "Ice Cream Paint Job"—Dorrough Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo Safe3 Hustle "Come To Me"—France Joli Maria Torres Bottom 34 Broadway "If My Friends Could See Me Now"—Christina Applegate Spencer Liff Bottom 35Victor Smalley Tango "Montserrat"— Orquesta del Plata Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin Eliminated Hip-Hop "Moving Mountains"—Usher Laurie Ann Gibson Eliminated
Strictly Come Dancing
Hauer joined Strictly Come Dancing as a professional dancer in 2012, partnering Westlife singer Nicky Byrne for the tenth series. They reached the quarter-finals in week 10, before losing the dance-off to Denise van Outen and her partner James Jordan.
Hauer returned for the eleventh series in 2013 to partner television chef Dave Myers; they were voted out of the competition in week 7, after losing the dance-off to Mark Benton and Iveta Lukosiute.
For the twelfth series, she was paired with television personality Mark Wright; they made it to the final, coming in 4th place.
For the thirteenth series, she was partnered with broadcaster Jeremy Vine; they were eliminated in Week 8 after losing a dance-off with Jamelia and Tristan MacManus.
For the fourteenth series in 2016, Hauer was paired with the singer Will Young, who withdrew from the competition after the third week.
In 2016, Hauer won the Children in Need Special with the taekwondo athlete Lutalo Muhammad. She danced with the celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott for the 2016 Christmas special.
In the fifteenth series in 2017, Hauer partnered television chef Simon Rimmer; they were eliminated in 11th place.
She was paired with actor Charles Venn for the sixteenth series in 2018; they reached the quarter-finals.
During the seventeenth series in 2019, Hauer was partnered with comedian Chris Ramsey; they reached the semi-final.
In the eighteenth series in 2020, she was partnered with Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing, who returned after injuring his foot in the previous series. With Laing, Hauer reached the final for the second time.
For the nineteenth series in 2021, she was partnered with actor Greg Wise. The couple were eliminated in Week 4.
For the twentieth series in 2022, she was partnered with comedian Jayde Adams. The couple were eliminated in Week 5 after losing the dance off to Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu.
For the twenty-first series in 2023, she was partnered with comedian and DJ Eddie Kadi. The couple were eliminated in Week 5 after losing the dance off to Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima.
For the twenty-second series in 2024, she was partnered with footballer and pundit Paul Merson. The couple were eliminated in Week 5 after losing in the dance-off to JB Gill and Amy Dowden with all judges voting against them. She appeared in the 2024 Christmas special, dancing a charleston with Josh Widdicombe to the song "Let It Snow" while dressed as a penguin.
For the twenty-third series, she was paired with Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and the pair were the sixth couple to be eliminated.
In March 2026, it was announced that Hauer would be departing the show after 14 years, along with several other professional dancers, making her the longest serving female professional at the time of her departure. Speaking on her exit she said, "Strictly completely changed my life, not only as a performer and a teacher but as a human being. I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many incredible people and brilliant celebrity partners who have become close friends and people I admire so much."
Highest and lowest scoring performances per dance Dance Partner Highest Partner Lowest American Smooth Jayde Adams 31 Simon Rimmer 16 Argentine Tango Nicky ByrneHarry Aikines-Aryeetey 30 Cha Cha Cha Mark Wright 35 Chris Ramsey 13 Charleston Nicky ByrneMark Wright 36 Simon Rimmer 21 Couple's Choice Jamie Laing (Street) 39 Greg Wise 23 Dance-a-thon Charles Venn 3 Mark Wright 2 Foxtrot Mark Wright 35 Chris Ramsey 28 Jive 35 Dave Myers 19 Paso Doble Chris Ramsey 31 16 Quickstep Jamie Laing 32 Simon Rimmer 19 Rumba Charles Venn 35 Nicky Byrne 25 Salsa Chris Ramsey 33 Paul Merson 15 Samba Charles Venn 38 Greg WiseSimon RimmerPaul Merson 19 Showdance Jamie Laing 39 Mark Wright 35 Tango Mark WrightJamie Laing 32 Dave Myers 20 Viennese Waltz Mark Wright 33 Chris Ramsey 26 Waltz 31 Nicky Byrne 17 Eddie Kadi, Jeremy Vine and Will Young are the only celebrities not to appear on this list. Series Partner Place AverageScore10Nicky Byrne6th26.611Dave Myers10th18.312Mark Wright4th31.713Jeremy Vine9th20.314Will Young13th29.315Simon Rimmer11th18.516Charles Venn6th29.717Chris Ramsey4th26.218Jamie Laing2nd32.019Greg Wise12th23.020Jayde Adams27.421Eddie Kadi25.022Paul Merson18.623Harry Aikines-Aryeetey9th27.0
Series 10: with celebrity partner Nicky Byrne Week Dance/SongJudges' scoresTotalResultHorwoodBussellGoodmanTonioli1Waltz / "I Wonder Why"255517No elimination2Cha-cha-cha / "Dynamite"454518Safe3Quickstep / "Hey Pachuco"677727Safe4Tango / "Weird Science"667726Safe5Rumba / "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing"477725Safe6Foxtrot / "The Best Is Yet to Come"778830Safe7Jive / "Jailhouse Rock"688830Bottom two8Charleston / "Doop"999936Safe9Argentine Tango / "Skyfall"787830Bottom two10American SmoothSamba / "Troublemaker"5787Eliminated
Series 11: with celebrity partner Dave Myers Week Dance/SongJudges' scoresTotalResultHorwoodBussellGoodmanTonioli1Cha-cha-cha / "Moves Like Jagger"2554No elimination2American Smooth / "How D'Ya Like Your Eggs in the Morning?"355417Safe3Paso Doble / "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)"2554Safe4Waltz / "Take It to the Limit"566623Safe5Salsa / "Cuban Pete"3554Safe6Jive / "Monster Mash"4564Safe7Tango / "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"4664Eliminated
Series 12: with celebrity partner Mark Wright Week Dance/SongJudges' scoresTotalResultHorwoodBussellOsmondGoodmanTonioli1Cha-cha-cha / "I'm Your Man"57–6624No elimination2American Smooth / "I'm Yours"67–7727Safe3Paso Doble / "Superman Theme"669*7735Safe4Quickstep / "Tiger Feet"77–7829Bottom two5Samba / "That's the Way (I Like It)"89–8833Safe6Jive / "Prologue (Little Shop of Horrors)"89–9935Safe7Waltz / "Weekend In New England"78–8831Safe8Charleston / "We No Speak Americano"99–9936Safe9Tango / "Love Runs Out"88–8832Safe10Salsa / "Viva Las Vegas"78–9832Bottom two11Foxtrot / "L-O-V-E"Waltz-a-thon / "The Last Waltz"8Awarded92–9extra9 points35Safe12Viennese Waltz / "I Got You Babe"Rumba / "Fields of Gold"8988–98883333Bottom two13Cha-cha-cha / "I'm Your Man"Showdance / "Don't Stop Me Now"8899–9999Eliminated Score awarded by guest judge Donny Osmond
Series 13: with celebrity partner Jeremy Vine In 2015 she partnered BBC Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine, for the thirteenth series of the show. Week Dance/SongJudges' scoresTotalResultHorwoodBussellGoodmanTonioli1Cha-cha-cha / "September"266519No elimination2American Smooth / "Happy Together"355417Safe3Charleston / "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails"377724Safe4Jive / "Splish Splash"3665Safe5Waltz / "She"3564Safe6Salsa / "Thriller"466622Safe7Tango / "Go West"466521Safe8Quickstep / "Going Underground"4665Eliminated
Series 14: with celebrity partner Will Young She partnered singer Will Young, for the fourteenth series of the show. Week Dance/SongJudges' scoresTotalResultHorwoodBussellGoodmanTonioli1Tango / "Let's Dance"887730No elimination2Jive / "Rock Around the Clock"578727Safe3Salsa / "Jai Ho"887831Safe4Viennese Waltz / "Say Something" – – – – –Withdrew
Series 15: with celebrity partner Simon Rimmer She partnered chef Simon Rimmer, for the fifteenth series of the show. Week Dance/SongJudges' scoresTotalResultHorwoodBussellBallasTonioli1Paso Doble / "Song 2"355417No Elimination2Waltz / "You'll Never Walk Alone"446519Safe3Quickstep / "You've Got a Friend in Me"356519Bottom two4Samba / "Copacabana"4555Safe5Charleston / "Fit as a Fiddle (And Ready for Love)"556 – Bottom two6American Smooth / "Delilah"2554Eliminated
Series 16: with celebrity partner Charles Venn She partnered actor Charles Venn, for the sixteenth series of the show. WeekDance/SongJudges' scoresTotalResultHorwoodBussellBallasTonioli1Cha-cha-cha / "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)"666725No Elimination2Quickstep / "Sir Duke" 567725Safe3American Smooth / "Up Where We Belong" 666725Bottom Two4Salsa / "Use It Up and Wear It Out" 666725Bottom Two5Street / "Get Up Offa That Thing" 9999*36Safe6 Jive / "Time Warp"666725Safe7 Viennese Waltz / "Piano Man"677828Bottom Two8Charleston / "No Diggity"899935Safe9Samba / "La Bamba"99101038Safe10Tango / "Eleanor Rigby"Lindy Hop-a-thon / "Do Your Thing"6Awarded838extra8points3033Safe11Rumba / "Maria"8999Eliminated Score awarded by guest judge Alfonso Ribeiro
Series 17: with celebrity partner Chris Ramsey She was partnered with comedian Chris Ramsey, for the seventeenth series. The couple reached the semi-final and finished fourth. WeekDance/SongJudges' scoreTotalResultCraig R. HorwoodMotsi MabuseShirley BallasBruno Tonioli1Cha-cha-cha / "Juice"343313No Elimination2Charleston / "Out of Our Heads"577726Safe3American Smooth / "Cheek to Cheek"466622Safe4Jive / "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"677626Safe5Quickstep / "Let's Go Crazy"5677*25Safe6Samba / "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"5666Safe7Street / "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble"899834Safe8Tango / "Survivor"577726Safe9Salsa / "Uptown Funk"7899Safe10Paso Doble / "Run Boy Run"888731Safe11Foxtrot / "Consider Yourself"678728Bottom Two12Viennese Waltz / "Somebody to Love"Rumba / "Don't Watch Me Cry"74786868Eliminated Score awarded by guest judge Alfonso Ribeiro
Series 18: with celebrity partner Jamie Laing Week Dance/SongJudges' scoresTotalResultHorwoodBallasMabuse1Cha-cha-cha / "Think About Things"45514No elimination2American Smooth / "Night and Day"56617Bottom Two3Charleston / "Zero to Hero"78823Safe4Samba / "Bamboléo"889*25Safe5 Street / "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"91010*Safe6Tango / "Tanguera"88824Bottom Two7Jive / "Everybody's Talking About Jamie"88824Bottom Two8Salsa / "Last Dance"Quickstep / "Thank God I'm a Country Boy"8888882424Bottom Two9Charleston / "Zero to Hero"Showdance / "I'm Still Standing"Street / "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"8999101091010Runner-up Score awarded by Anton Du Beke
Series 19: with celebrity partner Greg Wise Week Dance/SongJudges' scoresTotalResultHorwoodMabuseBallasDu Beke1American Smooth / "That's Life"665724No elimination2Couple's Choice / "If You Could Read My Mind"367723Safe3Paso Doble / "James Bond Theme"667726Safe4Samba / "Macarena" 3 5 5 6 Eliminated
Series 20: with celebrity partner Jayde Adams Week Dance/SongJudges' scoresTotalResultHorwoodMabuseBallasDu Beke1Samba / "Dirrty"476623No elimination2Tango / "Rumour Has It"676726Safe3Cha-Cha-Cha / "Flashdance... What a Feeling" 7 8 7 7 29 Safe4American Smooth / "Wind Beneath My Wings"788831Safe5Charleston / "The Ballard of Barry & Freda (Let's Do It)"677828Eliminated
Series 21: with celebrity partner Eddie Kadi