Strictly star Karen Carney: ‘I sometimes lack self-belief – but I’ve never given up’

This weekend marks the Strictly Come Dancing 2025 semi-final, and even making it this far has already been a ‘dream come true’ for Karen Carney.

The former Arsenal and England footballer, 38 – who was capped 144 times for her country – watched Strictly for years, always hoping but never knowing if she would ever get to take to the floor herself.

‘I dreamed about being on Strictly, and I thought it would never come true. I’ve watched this competition for so many years, and I’ve loved it, and I feel gifted and honoured to be in it,’ she tells Metro.

In week one, any doubts that Karen would be a fierce competitor were quashed when she and dance partner Carlos Gu scored 31 and topped the leaderboard.

However, the early rounds did present difficulties, as it took until Halloween week for them to break the 30-point barrier again.

Their Peaky Blinders-inspired Argentine Tango that night, Karen says, was a key moment on her route to the semi-final, and she’s ‘really attacked it ever since’.

Before Karen’s brilliant Halloween dance – which scored her 38 from the judges – it might have been on the public’s mind that footballers have struggled on Strictly in the past.

England stars Paul Merson, Tony Adams, and David James all failed to make it to Blackpool, while Alex Scott’s fifth-place finish in 2018 remains the best performance from a former footballer.

However, any worries about what her profession might mean for her Strictly fortunes have been way at the back of Karen’s mind.

‘I had no idea that footballers didn’t perform as well as other professions on Strictly – maybe I’ve been quite naïve,’ she admits, laughing. ‘But I’ve not thought about footballers and how far they’ve gone in the competition because everyone’s really different. I’m just focusing on me.’

If Karen is to make the final, she’ll be the first Strictly finalist from the world of sport since the 2006 winner, former cricketer Mark Ramprakash, as well as England rugby star Michael Dawson, who was the runner-up that year.

Former Arsenal, Birmingham City, and Chelsea star Karen played in numerous major finals, winning five FA Cups, three WSL titles, a League Cup, and a Champions League. So, has her preparation for major football finals helped this week, during the business end of the Strictly season?

‘I actually think preparing for big football finals and big Strictly nights is completely different,’ she explains.

‘With football, I was training for it my whole life. I knew how to fix things, I knew what was coming, and I was trained in it since I was eight years old. Strictly is very unfamiliar and out of my comfort zone.’

She continues: ‘But what football has taught me is to enjoy the moment. You can become so ingrained in it that you lose the fun element, especially if it’s your job.’

On the football pitch, Karen says that she was ‘introverted’, when players should be able to show their ‘full personality’. But on Strictly, she doesn’t feel as though she’s held back whatsoever.

‘There have been times in my career when I’ve been humbled – you’ll feel confident, but then you’ll be unexpectedly knocked out of a major tournament. I’ve just got to give my absolute best. If it’s not enough, I’ll still know I’ve done everything I can.’

When the prospect of a cup final looms, footballers are often asked whether they’re ‘allowing themselves’ to think more than one game ahead. Karen responded in true football fashion to that very question: ‘I just want to nail the performance as best as I can each Saturday. That’s been mine and Carlos’ aim from week one.’

Despite impressing fans week upon week with her energetic routines, Karen reveals that she is feeling ‘pretty tired’ at this stage. Who wouldn’t be?

‘If I was as super-fit as everyone thinks, I’d still be playing, wouldn’t I? I’m a pretty broken ex-footballer if I’m being brutally honest. Each dance we do, me and Carlos keep joking that it gives you a different muscle that says “Hello!”‘

A trailblazer from the beginning of her career, Karen will be remembered as a pioneer of women’s football in England. She – along with Alex Scott, Ellen White, Steph Houghton, Jill Scott, and numerous others – laid down solid foundations for the sport’s future during a period when it was taken far less seriously than it should have been.

After retiring from the professional game, Karen moved into TV punditry – another male-dominated arena that can have an unforgiving audience. Karen was the target of online abuse in January 2021, deleting her Twitter account after the official page for Leeds United reacted badly to her analysis of the Yorkshire club’s performances that season.

Despite leaving social media behind, Karen immediately came back to TV coverage of the Premier League and Champions League, and has remained a regular face on ITV and TNT Sports ever since. What does it take to bounce back after such an experience?

‘Carlos would admit that I sometimes lack confidence and self-belief, but I’ve never given up. I’ve always had friends and family around me when things have got tough, and I always get back up again. But that’s not just in football, it’s in my life and education too,’ she states.

‘My mum and dad were working-class grafters. Some people call that resilience, but we just keep going. They instilled in me a work ethic – it was a strong fundamental thing for me and my siblings to work hard. I think that’s what I’ve done.’

She takes her mum’s lessons very seriously: ‘I’ve always wanted to do the things I love, and my mum said, “If you want them that badly, you’ll work hard for them.”’

When it comes to working hard for Strictly, Karen says the other contestants – whom she describes as ‘teammates’ – have made every step of the journey that little bit easier as they have ‘so much respect for one another’.

‘We’re really supportive of each other. We’re out of our comfort zones, so we need people around us. The cast for 2025 has been unbelievable. They’re so talented, so kind, and I’ve loved getting to know them. I’d love to do a big social when it’s all over.’

The Strictly Come Dancing results show airs tonight at 7.45pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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