Earlier this month, 32-year-old documentary filmmaker Stacey Dooley’s ex-boyfriend Sam Tucknott, 30, revealed they had broken up and claimed she had struck up a romance with her former Strictly Come Dancing partner Kevin Clifton, 36. Now, an insider has claimed Karen Clifton, 37, asked her ex-husband about the nature of his relationship with Stacey months ago. “Karen confronted Kevin about his relationship with Stacey at the end of the last series but he was adamant it was purely platonic,” a source told The Sun. Kevin and Stacey are reported to have started their romance earlier this month.
The source claimed Karen had been “considering” changing her surname back to her maiden name and that the news about Stacey and Kevin had “cemented her decision”.
“This is Kevin’s business but she no longer wants to be linked to him,” they said.
“When the next series of Strictly starts she’ll be known as Karen Hauer.”
Express.co.uk has contacted representatives for Karen and Kevin asking for comment.
At the weekend, Karen and her boyfriend David Webb were seen cosying up for pictures when they stepped out at the London Palladium to watch her Strictly co-stars Aljaz Skorjanec, 29, and Janette Manrara, 35, perform on their Remembering The Movies tour.
The Venezuelan-born beauty showcased her slender figure in a metallic dress with a zig-zag pattern while her opera singer beau looked dapper in a navy suit.
Karen has moved on with David since she and Kevin confirmed their split last year, following months of rumours their marriage was on the rocks.
Meanwhile, Grimsby favourite Kevin paid tribute to his rumoured new flame Stacey on the first night of the Burn The Floor Tour.
“Thanks to Miss Stacey Dooley, I can finally say I’m the Strictly champion after six years of trying,” he said, according to The Sun.
“It’s a miracle,” he continued. “In the last couple of years I’ve seen massive upheaval in my personal life and it hasn’t always been easy.
“There have been a lot of things thrown at me. At times I’ve struggled and the times I’ve struggled and I was in a bit of a rut, I didn’t know what to do.”
Kevin’s gushing speech about his Strictly-winning partner came after her ex-boyfriend Sam told the Mail on Sunday he had confronted the dancer via video chat after finding out about their relationship.
“He went white,” Sam claimed. “I just stuck it on him, ‘You’re an absolute rat. How you conducted yourself. Just a slippery, slimy snake.’
“He didn’t say a word. He liked petrified. He looked so shocked.”
Sam said Stacey had told him she wasn’t “entertaining or texting” Kevin until after they broke up.
The presenter has since broken her silence on reports surrounding her personal life on Twitter, telling her 287,000 followers: “Anyone with any adult life experience knows there are 2 sides to every story.
“I haven’t got the time or energy to correct some of the utter nonsense I’ve read on here.
“Re Sam, I loved him very much and only wish him happiness and success going forward,”(sic) she added.