Strictly Karen Hauer is reportedly dating ex rugby player Simon Davidson after they were spotted together at the BBC show’s final in December – following her shock split from husband Jordan Wyn-Jones.
The dancer, 41, is said to have enjoyed a recent romantic getaway with the personal trainer and Marketing Manager after being introduced by co-star Gorka Marquez and his partner Gemma Atkinson.
A source told The Mirror: ‘Karen and Simon have lots in common, so when Gemma and Gorka introduced them, they hit it off immediately’.
‘Karen was keen to take things slowly and they were friends for a while at first. But gradually things became romantic, and though they have tried to keep their relationship quiet, they are now a proper couple’.
Adding: Karen’s friends and family are thrilled, because 2023 was an incredibly hard year for her and all they want is to see her happy.’
Strictly Karen Hauer, 41, is reportedly dating ex rugby player Simon Davidson after they were spotted together at the BBC show’s final in December – following her shock split from husband Jordan Wyn-Jones.
The dancer is said to have enjoyed a romantic getaway with the personal trainer and Marketing manager (pictured together leaving Strictly Come Dancing final in December)
It emerged Karen had split from husband Jordan in October after they married last year, with her describing the ceremony as a ‘fairytale’ at the time
has contacted a representative for Karen for comment.
Simon works as a senior sports marketing manager for Adidas and specialises in promoting rugby and boxing for the brand.
Karen and her estranged husband Jordan married last year, describing the ceremony as a ‘fairytale’ at the time, but sources claimed the pair had gone their separate ways after a ‘tough time’.
Karen’s estranged husband Jordan later told how their relationship crumbled just 16 months after their wedding day as Karen waltzed off to rehearsals leaving him at home.
He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It’s a bit of a love story, a sad story. I’m incredibly sad not to be in Karen’s life, and not be on this journey with her but we’re not right for each other in terms of her career. I will always admire her for her career but it took her away from me a lot. She’d be away and I’d be at home on my own.’
Central to their break-up was that his wish to start a family clashed with Karen’s commitment to the show as its longest-serving professional.
Having talked about having children, they moved from Karen’s home in Wimbledon, South West London, to the North of England where they settled in the countryside with their four dogs.
But instead of cosy nights in, Jordan says their relationship became a series of video and phone calls as his wife, an American-Venezuelan ballroom champion, travelled around the country.
Simon works as a senior sports marketing manager for Adidas and specialises in promoting rugby and boxing for the brand
The couple have also reportedly enjoyed a romantic getaway over the festive period
They were introduced by co-star Gorka Marquez and his partner Gemma Atkinson (pictured)
‘Karen’s dedicated to her career, which she has worked really hard for,’ Jordan said. ‘She’s amazing and I admire her for it. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to marry her – because of how powerful she is.
‘But we wanted different things. There was a plan about having children but then there wasn’t a plan.
‘When we first met, we discussed it. You do say things like, ‘I want to have kids’. And she’d mentioned to me that she wanted to have kids with me. But in the interview, Karen said ‘kids aren’t the future’ – which did make me sad. I’ve always wanted to be a father.
‘I wouldn’t say it was a shock but I knew subconsciously in the back of my head… why would she want to have a child with me?
‘I’d become vacant in our relationship. I was loving and so caring for her but I was vacant because of the situation that we found ourselves in.’
Her estranged husband Jordan later told how their relationship crumbled just 16 months after their wedding day as Karen waltzed off to rehearsals leaving him at home
Karen, who was paired with comedian and radio presenter Eddie Kadi (left) on Strictly this year, attended the Pride of Britain Awards without her wedding ring in October
There was no wedding ring visible on her finger as she attended the glitzy Pride of Britain Awards
Jordan said they broke down crying as they admitted their marriage was over: ‘There were tears on both sides. A lot of tears and sadness. We didn’t want to let go of each other but we’re also not right for each other.
‘If we’d stayed together and we didn’t have a family, I felt I would have ended up resenting her. This is the perfect moment for us to love each other and leave each other.’
In August this year Karen revealed she and Jordan were having counselling to help them with their relationship.
She told Hello! magazine: ‘Counselling. You know what I think communication is massive but learning how to communicate, you know, so we get outside help.
‘So whenever we’re having tricky moments or anything like that, it’s just seeing the vulnerable side of each other and understanding it and knowing that both of us are working on things because nobody is perfect.’
She added: ‘There is no such thing as a happy marriage or a happy relationship with the perfect couple.
‘It’s about dealing with things the right way and not just running away from things, and I guess that’s what makes us tick even better and understand one another.’