Reigning Strictly Come Dancing champion Karen Carney has thrown her support behind Carlos Gu and his new dance partner, Jaime Winstone. Speaking in an exclusive interview, Karen said she is invested in the pair's journey on the BBC show.
Karen's verdict on Carlos and Jaime
Karen and Carlos won the glitterball trophy last year. Now 15 celebrities are hoping to follow in her footsteps. The BBC competition has returned with three new hosts, Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe, replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
After the first live show last weekend, the first celebrity will face elimination tonight, Sunday, September 4. Karen has now voiced her support for Jaime, who is partnered with Carlos. Jaime was announced as part of Strictly earlier this year, sharing at the time: "I am so excited to announce that I will be joining the Strictly Come Dancing cast this year.
"I am no stranger to a dance floor, but the ballroom is a whole new world for me. I love a challenge though, so can't wait to enter my showgirl era and get super sparkly!! Let's get physical – see you on the dance floor!"
Joint tattoo and emotional return
After seeing Jaime and Carlos perform, Karen shared: "I'm a team Carlos fan, there's no jealousy or envy or bitterness or anything like that, I'm there to support him.
"We've got a joint tattoo, I feel like I'm stuck with him for life! I was texting him this morning, he was making me laugh, he's a great guy.
"I'm obviously invested in him and that means I'll be invested in Jaime and her journey, so yeah, looking forward to seeing more of them and what they've got next!"
She went on: "I could literally go through the whole cast and say how amazing they all are because I've met them quite a lot now, which is a real privilege to do that because it feels like I've been part of two series, I've had an overlap, which was really nice to get to meet them, speak to them, get to know them, they're all so nice, they're all genuinely lovely people."
Karen had returned to Strictly to perform her winning jive for one final time with Carlos, as she joined the new cast members during the launch show. Reflecting on that emotional final performance, she said: "I'd say it was more nerve-wracking than any of the dances I'd done in the actual series. It was bizarre.
"I think because I'd not really done much practicing, I'd not danced for nine months." She added: "It was a little bit daunting but it was great, I loved the people of Strictly, they're the favourite part of my whole experience so to go back and see them was pretty cute."
Support from Ray Winstone
Karen isn't the only star to have thrown her support behind Jaime, after the actress's dad Ray Winstone shared his true feelings about his daughter taking part. The Hollywood star appeared on The One Show earlier this year, admitting about Jaime's Strictly stint: "I don't know who is more nervous, her or me? It's kind of new, she can dance anyway, but when you have to learn to dance with other people in routines, that's what she's worried about. But the great thing is, she'll be as fit as a butcher's dog."
Referencing Danny Dyer's daughter Dani, who has returned to Strictly after having to back out over an injury last year, Ray added: "Two good kids, I hope she does well, I hope they both do well."
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Sunday at 7.10pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
