Strictly star Karen Carney reveals heartbreaking reason for joining show after ‘challenging’ time

The former England Women’s footballer, who is paired with pro dancer Carlos Gu, opened up about facing criticism as a pundit

Strictly Come Dancing star Karen Carney has opened up about the reason she signed up for the BBC dancing competition. In a recent interview, the former England Women’s footballer said she joined the show to “rebuild” her confidence after facing backlash over her role as a football pundit. The 38-year-old has pursued a career in the media since retiring from football in 2019 and has appeared on TNT Sports, Sky Sports and ITV Sport to provide expert commentary during coverage of both women’s and men’s games.

Speaking about the criticism she faced as a female pundit talking about men’s football, Karen told Women’s Health’s podcast, Just As Well: “I think I had it quite bad about four years ago, that was very, very challenging. But since then, whether you like it or not, you have to build resilience. And I think for me, my attitude – put my athlete hat on – is to be the best version of myself. Work as hard as I can, be a great team player, and actually, what we learned in football was never to impress your manager, impress your teammates.”

© CREDIT LINE:BBC/Ray Burmiston
Karen Carney is paired with Carlos Gu for this year’s series

The former footballer continued: “So for me, if I’m next to someone like a Roy Keane or an Ian Wright, or whoever it might be, if they’re happy with me and they know I worked hard, they know I’ve done my research, they know I’ve done my prep, then that’s all that matters to me.”

She added, “The rest, I can’t control what people think about me. I genuinely can’t. I’ve had to just go with that mindset. But Jesus Christ, it has knocked my confidence.”

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Karen’s Strictly journey so far

Karen, who is partnered with professional dancer Carlos Gu for the new series, made Strictly history in the first live show when she became the first footballer to top the leaderboard in 18 years after the pair’s jive to Blondie’s One Way Or Another won 31 points from the judges.

Karen is a former England Women’s footballer

Karen said she is “absolutely loving” taking part in the competition. “Honestly, I’ve just got a massive smile on my face. It’s such an honour and privilege to be on the show,” the former footballer told the podcast, adding that while she’s hoping her “fitness comes through”, she’s not going to put herself “under too much pressure” and is “just so happy” to be part of the show.