Strictly stars Gorka Marquez and Karen Hauer talk dream partners, jealousy and the show 'curse'

A celebration of vintage, iconic dance styles set in a seductive secret underworld, is how best to describe Speakeasy - the steamy tour that Gorka Marquez and Karen Hauer’s are set to embark upon together next year.

As for the show they first worked together on, well, Saturday nights just wouldn't be the same without Strictly Come Dancing. Gorka has been a part of the BBC smash hit dance competition since 2016, while Karen took to the stage as a professional back in 2012.

When they are not shimmy-ing their way across the ballroom with their celebrity partners, the pair enjoy happy private lives away from the limelight.

In our exclusive chat, Gorka, a father of two and partner to actress Gemma Atkinson, bats off talk of any Strictly 'curse', arguing could happen in 'any profession'.

Karen on the other hand, though she is now loved up with boyfriend Simon Davidson, who she says is very chilled compared to her, and living her best life with girlie trips to Ibiza, maintains that the show's infamous 'curse' most definitely exists! As the two friends juggle busy lives, as well as practising for one of their biggest tours to date - and preparing to hit that hallowed Strictly dance floor in a matter of months, Gorka and Karen spoke to OK! about the hit BBC dance show, and more...

Hi, Karen and Gorka! How are you?

Karen: Well, I went away for nine days to Lanzarote and then I literally came back for like two days or so, then I went away with the girls to Ibiza. Babe, it was my first time on holiday with my girls for the first time ever since we've been friends, right? And it was the best.

You are both going on tour in 2025. Are you excited?

Gorka: I'm super excited. We took a year off doing the tour together because we wanted to bring something new, fresh and amazing. So, we’re just excited for next year. It seems like it's a long way to go, but it's not really. It's going to be around the corner soon.

Karen: I'm thrilled, actually. But also it's because he's with one of my best friends. He's brilliant and he's a cheeky chap. He keeps me on my toes because I never know what's gonna happen with him. We went back on our drawing board and started coming up with new ideas and new inspirations. I'm pretty sure it'll get stressful at some point.

How do you prepare for a tour?

Karen: I try to turn off as much as I can. I like to clean and I like to do my laundry and I like too. I love mopping. It’s the little things. I have to pay all my bills. I try to take care of as many things as possible and then cut off. I like watching things on Netflix but, like, I like watching, I was just watching Yellowstone on Amazon because Gorka introduced that to me.

Gorka: I like to make the most at home and try to disconnect and rest. And don't think about dancing because when we're going on tour, it's full on tour and full of dancing. So I like to switch off and do other things, and nothing has to be with dance.

How do you navigate date nights while being on tour?

Gorka: We're very simple. We have weekends like from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon where we don’t have the children. We just train together because now we don't get to train together like we used to. Or we go to the cinema, and we recently watched Bad Boys. It was so good!

Karen: Simon, my boyfriend, comes on tour. He always did actually. He's like a band aid. He always already knows all the choreography before, so he loves it. I'm gonna pull him up on stage and give him a job of, you know, playing to be one of the dancers.

The Strictly curse. Is it real?

Karen: I've seen things. I'm not gonna talk about them. It exists. It's there. Whoever wants to go and play, that's there on them. It’s like any other job - it just happens. People are like, ‘oh but you guys are so sexy and you're so close up and personal’, and I'm like, listen, I've been up and close and personal with a lot of people but I don't go there because I respect my job and I respect people.

Gorka: No. That happens everywhere. It could happen everywhere. It's just one of those things. To be honest, I always said, if it happens, it’s because the people are not really happy. So, it doesn't matter what it is.

Gorka, does Gemma get jealous of who you are partnered with on Strictly, sometimes?

No, not at all. We’ve been in this industry a long time and it is a job. I guess from the hours that might look different - but it’s just a job.

How rigorous is practice with your celebrity partners?

Karen: We spend about 8 to 10 hours with these guys or, you know, as little as four hours. I've had to get a bit of everything, but everything is specifically designed for them. I always give as much as they want. I tip my hat to these celebrities that come in and do Strictly because it's tough at the end of the day.

Gorka: Yeah, we normally do 9 to 6 p.m. every day, but it's a full time job. People think it's all glam and glitter. Yes the sequins make it look easier, but the reason why it looks easier is because we do it over and over for so many hours! A lot of people don't see all the hard work that goes into it.

There has, of course, been a lot of talk surrounding Giovanni Pernice and his methods of practice, do you have anything to say on that?

Karen: We've all been just so busy with our own tours. He's on tour as well. So it's been really tough to kind of even, you know, see one another. But, you know... he'll definitely be missed.

Gorka: I don't know anything. I try to stay away from that. Strictly is not on. The only thing I know is, I am back and I'm excited that we start very soon.

Strictly Come Dancing professionals Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez are bringing their all-new
show Speakeasy to theatres in 2025. Tickets are on sale now at www.speakeasylive.co.uk