Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Karen Hauer has taken on a string of new roles following her exit from the BBC show earlier this year. The Venezuela-born dancer, who was Strictly's longest-serving professional after 14 years, will appear in ITV's Cooking with the Stars and make her major musical theatre debut as Lina Lamont in Singin' in the Rain.
New challenges after Strictly
Karen joined Strictly in 2012 and danced with celebrities including Mark Wright, Jeremy Vine and Jamie Laing. In March, she confirmed she would not return for the 2026 series, which started last month. Weeks later, she was announced in a revival of Richard Harris' comedy Stepping Out, playing Mavis.
Now she has been confirmed among the celebrities competing in the new series of Cooking with the Stars, hosted by Emma Willis and Tom Allen. The show begins on Monday, October 5, on ITV1 and ITVX, with Karen putting her culinary skills to the test.
Musical theatre debut
In January 2027, Karen will take to the stage as Lina Lamont in Singin' in the Rain. The touring production runs from January to August, including a month-long London engagement at Sadler's Wells from June 2 to July 3.
Set in 1920s Hollywood as silent films give way to the 'talkies', the musical features classic songs including Good Morning, Make 'Em Laugh and Singin' in the Rain. Lina's larger-than-life personality and unmistakable voice offer Karen the chance to show a new side of her performance skills.
Karen's reaction
Karen said: "This has been such an exciting year of firsts for me. Playing Mavis in Stepping Out was a wonderful introduction to acting, and it gave me an appetite to keep learning and challenging myself. Now I get to step into Lina Lamont's shoes in one of the most iconic musicals of all time. She's outrageous, funny, and so much fun to explore, and I can't wait to bring her to life."
She added: "Cooking with the Stars has been a completely different kind of challenge! I'm used to helping other people learn something new, so being the one who has to listen, learn and perform under pressure was quite a change. I'm loving the chance to try new things and show audiences different sides of me."
