The longest-serving female professional in Strictly Come Dancing history, Karen Hauer has been dazzling on the dancefloor for more than decade. But behind the sequins, she leans on far less glamorous habits to stay balanced — and encourages others to do the same.
Decorated dancer and long-standing professional on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, Karen Hauer’s career started out in humble milieu. Having moved from Venezuela to New York city as a child, she spoke little English but quickly found her feet dancing after school in the Bronx. “I never saw it as a hobby,” she says. “I knew it was always going to be a part of my life — my career pretty much started when I was eight.”
What followed is the kind of career most dancers only dream of: multiple accolades, decades of touring, television work and a place as a beloved regular on one of the UK’s most watched TV programmes.
Now, balancing life between the Strictly studio, her fitness brand Hauer Power, her partner and her ‘kids’ (four adorable rescue dogs, two with three legs), Karen is grateful, but busier than ever.
Still, she finds herself coming back to the lessons she learnt as a child to make sense of the world. “I didn’t grow up in the most conventional background,” she says. “Even as a kid I needed dance to support my mental health. It gave me a way to release things — it was an escape.”
For Karen, it wasn’t just dance that helped, movement itself became a mechanism through which she could process the world around her.
“Playing outside with my brother, doing races, running around after school, basketball… I loved being outside. Moving helped me express myself and I didn’t want to keep anything in.”
More than 30 years later, that instinct hasn’t changed. Whenever Karen faces a tough decision or feels overwhelmed, she still turns to movement — whether its dance or a walk outside — for clarity. “We all experience stress and pressure — and the only way I can deal with it is by giving myself space and moving in it.”
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Reflecting on the hardest moments of her life – relationship changes, financial pressures, family difficulties and career stress — Karen observes that it’s always been movement, of any kind, and especially being outdoors, that clears her mind.
The trick, she says, is resisting the urge to control things you can’t. “I always feel like there’s a solution to everything, and I usually find that when I’m out moving or dancing. But if there isn’t one, let go, breathe, keep moving and just keep doing what you’re doing.”
How Karen deals with the pressures of dance
Life as a professional dancer, especially one in the public eye, carries pressures audiences rarely see. Karen acknowledges the privilege of things like regularly working with a personal trainer, the exhilaration of being on a Strictly tour and the glamour of all those costumes. But she’s quick to dispel any far-fetched illusions: “It looks glamorous and it’s truly amazing, but it’s exhausting. You have to put the hours in for it to look effortless.”
And of course, it isn’t effortless. Even for seasoned dancers like Karen, the physical and mental demand of the job can often lead to burnout. The added pressure of public attention amplifies these stresses, and her instinct for self-preservation remains strong.
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Earlier this year, after pushing herself too hard, Karen underwent knee surgery but chose not to publicise it until she was fully healed. “Sometimes when you put things out too early it becomes overwhelming,” she explains. “It was a reminder that I need to take care of myself as attentively as I take care of my work.”
Simple rituals for staying grounded
So how does she take care of herself now? The answer is decidedly unshowy for a professional performer. Although she loves to “dance it out” everywhere and anywhere, Karen finds that it’s the little things that help her stay grounded.
For her, this means walking. “Even just taking yourself outside and moving for a little while can make a massive difference,” she says. “You don’t need a gym. You don’t need a dance class. Just go outside and move — you’ll find release from something as easy as that.”
Beyond this, Karen prioritises eating with intention, not restriction. While she plays close attention to nutrition, she’s careful not to add the punitive language and scrutiny often associated with her industry. “It’s very tough not to look at someone and think, I want to look like her,” she admits. “But you have to be comfortable in yourself. I don’t do diets — I serve my body because it serves me.”
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And just as important to her is the sanctuary that her home provides. “I’m not home a lot and I work really hard, so it’s nice to come back to a clear space and remember why I’m doing all this,” she says. “I actually love cleaning. I like the surfaces to smell clean.”
But nothing brings Karen back to earth quite like her dogs. “I’ve been through a lot with my dogs — they’ve been my foundation,” she says. “I got my first, Betty, in 2016. I grew up with Dobermans in Venezuela but couldn’t have any in New York, so now being able to adopt rescues and take care of animals has been hugely important to me.”
Walking, playing and spending time outside with her canine companions brings Karen her deepest joy and release. More than that, it’s their gentle simplicity that helps her find perspective and connect with herself.
“Looking down at these animals and seeing how happy they are just to be with me — and how straightforward things are for them — it pulls me back from getting so wound up from things,” she says. “And then I’m grounded. I’m outside, releasing energy, gaining new energy and just breathing outside.”
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Two of her four rescue dogs have only three legs, and all arrived with histories that have required continued patience and care. Through devotedly caring for them, Karen has learned to take better care of herself. “They’re just like us — they need routine, reassurance. When Betty had surgery recently, they literally all looked to me for answers.”
Karen puts the same level of care into her dogs as she does her own health. Recently, she partnered with a cause close to her heart, the dog gut health brand Protexin, after learning about the digestive challenges dogs face that often go unnoticed. “My dogs have faced so many health issues and they mean the world to me, so I think it’s so important everyone is aware of the extra help they might need,” she says. “I didn’t even know they can’t digest fibre — they need vitamins and supplements just like us!”
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Karen’s advice for dealing with stress
As busy as Karen is, when it comes to managing stress, her approach is refreshingly uncomplicated. Rather than recommending rigid routines or complex strategies, she encourages people to return to the basics — whatever that might look like for them.
“I always ask people: ‘what makes you happy? Painting? Cleaning? Cooking? Playing with your pet? Whatever it is, it will release endorphins and ease stress.’”
The important thing, she says, is not to make movement feel like a chore — and you need not be too ambitious, either. “You don’t have to take a dance class with Anton Du Beke to stay active,” she jokes. “Just listen to your body and do something that tells it you’re happy.”
And sometimes, listening to your body just means resting. “Honestly, my favourite thing is lying down and cuddling my dogs. I already have an active life — rest doesn’t have to be anything special. It just needs to be simple.”
Feature image: Flickr/Marc Brenner
