Strictly Come Dancing finalist Karen Carney has revealed she received a firm warning from BBC bosses after pleading to break a major show rule. The former professional footballer, who is competing for the Glitterball Trophy with partner Carlos Gu, admitted she struggled to adapt to the ballroom wardrobe, particularly the high-heeled shoes.
A Desperate Plea Over Footwear
Speaking to Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill on the Gold Minds podcast in November, Karen Carney confessed her secret to a stunning Week One Jive was dancing in flats. The 38-year-old said the shoes felt "like football boots" and were "really comfortable". However, she disclosed that for her last three dances, she had been forced to wear heels.
When Jessica Ennis-Hill, 39, asked how she coped with dancing in heels, Karen was candid. "Oh yeah, honestly, that in itself is like… my heels for last week didn’t come until the day before, so I’d only had a bit of time with them," she said, adding she had hoped they wouldn't arrive at all.
The Strict Warning From Producers
Karen then revealed she had "begged" Strictly producers to let her perform one routine without heels. The response from the show's bosses was a stark warning about the potential consequences for her scores. They told the football pundit that if she wore her comfortable black shoes, which they said would "look horrendous," she would be marked down by the judges.
"I was thinking, 'yeah, but if I felt more comfortable and I dance better, would the marking actually balance itself out?'" Karen recalled. The producers were unequivocal, stating: "You cannot, it’s, like, the rules, you’ve got to wear them."
A Journey of Confidence on the Dance Floor
Despite the footwear struggle, Karen Carney has become a favourite with both the Strictly judges and the viewing public. Her journey on the BBC One show has also seen a remarkable transformation in her self-confidence.
The star, who has faced harsh online trolling in her role as a football pundit, opened up about the personal impact of the competition. "For probably the last five or six years I’ve been open and honest about how I’ve been crushed quite a lot in terms of my confidence," she admitted.
She added: "Part of me was like, ‘if I could ever get the opportunity to throw myself into what I felt would be my heart, I knew that Strictly would be the thing that would fix me."
Karen and her professional partner Carlos Gu will face tough competition in the final. They are up against George Clarke and Alexis Warr, and Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin for the coveted Glitterball Trophy. The Strictly Come Dancing 2025 final airs tonight at 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
