Former England footballer Karen Carney is making headlines as she competes in the Strictly Come Dancing final alongside her dance partner, Carlos Gu. As the competition heats up, Carney has revealed that she faced a stern warning from BBC producers after attempting to circumvent a crucial regulation regarding her footwear for the show.
In a candid conversation with retired Olympic champion Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill on the Gold Minds podcast, Carney discussed her struggles with the high-heeled shoes required for her performances. She noted that her initial success during the competition came while dancing in flat shoes, which she likened to “football boots” for their comfort.
Reflecting on her experience, Carney explained, “I think the Jive, the first dance, even the shoes were like football boots. So it was really comfortable and I was really comfortable in them… like, the last three dances, I’ve been in heels.” Ennis-Hill expressed her sympathy, asking how Carney managed to dance in heels, acknowledging the discomfort that often accompanies such footwear.
Carney candidly admitted to the challenges she faced, stating, “Oh yeah, honestly, that in itself is like… my heels for last week didn’t come until the day before, so I’d only had a bit of time with them.” She went on to share that she had “begged” the producers to allow her to skip the heels for one particular dance. However, the response from the show’s team was firm: if she chose to wear her black shoes instead, she would face lower scores from the judging panel.
“They were like, ‘if you wear your black shoes, which would look horrendous, you will get marked down’,” Carney recalled. Despite her protests about feeling more comfortable in different footwear, the producers stood by the rules. “And they were like, ‘you cannot, it’s, like, the rules, you’ve got to wear them’,” she added with a sigh.
Despite the footwear difficulties, Carney has impressed both the judges and the audience with her performances. Throughout the competition, she has demonstrated significant growth in her confidence, particularly after facing criticism as a football pundit. “For probably the last five or six years, I’ve been open and honest about how I’ve been crushed quite a lot in terms of my confidence,” she remarked.
Carney expressed her belief that participating in Strictly would be a transformative experience for her, stating, “Part of me was like, ‘if I could ever get the opportunity to throw myself into what I felt would be my heart, I knew that Strictly would be the thing that would fix me.'”
As the competition draws to a climax, Carney and Gu will compete against George Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr, as well as Amber Davies and her dance partner Nikita Kuzmin, all aiming for the coveted Glitterball trophy. The final episode of Strictly Come Dancing airs tonight at 19:00 on BBC One and iPlayer, promising an exciting conclusion to this year’s competition.
For ongoing updates and news in the entertainment industry, readers are encouraged to visit the Everything Gossip website.
