Karen has broken her silence about dancing with Paul Merson to Vindaloo (Image: Karen Hauer Instagram)Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy NoticeKaren Hauer has opened up about her first Strictly Come Dancing performance with Paul Merson. The pro dancer didn’t shy away from admitting that their song choice for the first week of the BBC dance-off was a bit of a challenge. After last weekend’s pre-recorded launch show, the competition officially got underway on Saturday 21 September, marking the first time the celebs and their professional dance partners strutted their stuff together. When it was ex-footballer Paul’s turn to hit the dance floor with Karen, viewers were treated to an American Smooth routine set to none other than comedy hit Vindaloo by Fat Les. The Strictly judges – Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke – labelled the performance as “special” and “different,” before awarding them a total score of 17, landing them joint second from the bottom on the leaderboard.
Karen and Paul had to dance to comedy song Vindaloo
(Image: Guy Levy/BBC/PA)
However, during and after their debut live performance, viewers took to social media in droves to criticise the song choice for Paul and Karen’s inaugural series performance. Karen has since taken to social media to share a message with fans, praising Paul for his efforts and reiterating her delight at having the football pundit as her celebrity dance partner this year. Posting snaps of the duo in action, as well as a post-show picture with Karen’s rugby star beau Simon Davidson and Paul’s wife Kate Merson, Karen wrote: “Not only was last night fun but this guy is the real deal! Focused, hard-working and committed… whilst at the same time bringing a sense of humour and enjoyment to the whole process. I couldn’t be happier to have Merse as my partner. See you all next Saturday.” Sign up to OK!’s TV newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free
During the launch show, the pair did not look thrilled with the music choice for their first dance
(Image: BBC)
Karen’s Strictly colleague and dance partner Gorka Marquez swiftly responded, commenting: “Was awesome chamita.” Fellow pro Lauren Oakley also chimed in: “I think I’m a bit obsessed,” before fans of the show expressed their support. One said: “Karen I can see so much potential in Paul – more than I imagined and he’s already better than some others on the show!” A second fan wrote: “Well done to you and Paul and Karen your choreography was perfect. I was smiling constantly and could tell you were both having fun. Love you, keep shining my favourite pro.” Another posted: “Well done. You did a good job on the choreography. Loved the dance,” while a fourth follower said: “You did amazing job with him. You did what you could with that awful song. Roll on next Saturday for a better song hopefully. ” One fan went on to add: “Thought you guys did an amazing job with a tricky theme and dance combination. Brilliant work!”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnCraig Revel HorwoodShirley BallasAnton Du BekeStrictly Come DancingPaul MersonKaren Hauer
