Karen Carney says Strictly has ‘fixed me’ and ‘rebuilt my confidence’

Former Lioness Karen Carney has said Strictly Come Dancing has been a “safe environment” that has helped “fix” and “rebuild” her confidence.

The Solihull-born sports broadcaster, 38, has been performing with professional dancer Carlos Gu on the BBC One dancing competition and is competing in this year’s final against reality TV star Amber Davies and social media star George Clarke.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Saturday’s final, Carney said: “I joined the show as a massive fan. And I think I’ve badgered everyone enough about how much I love the show.

“I think 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, and I couldn’t figure out how to fix that.”

She added: “I always knew in my heart Strictly would be the thing I think that would fix me, I don’t know why, I just thought it would be… because every Saturday I’d watched it at home, and I’d just watch it and I’d forget about everything else, and I’d fall in love with everybody and just enjoy their journeys and forget about everything.

“And I thought if I’d ever got the opportunity and have the privilege to join it, I felt like it’d be the safe environment to fix me and help me again, and it absolutely has.

“It’s rebuilt my confidence… it’s by far the happiest I’ve ever been.

“I’ve smiled like I’ve never smiled before, and I’m forever grateful to the show and to Carlos for that.

“And for me that is enough, and Strictly gives so much to people. And so when we dance I feel, particularly from watching it, I have a responsibility to give a smile, because I know when I’ve sat on the sofa it’s helped me.

“So I believe I have that responsibility to give that back to everyone at home.”

Carney said her Peaky Blinders-inspired Argentine tango to Red Right Hand by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds felt like “a turning point” for her in the competition.

She said: “You can try and find and get confidence from everyone in the show and from Carlos, but actually you’ve got to dig deep and find it within yourself.

“I remember going in, I was like, ‘You’ve got to do this’ and also I felt with the Peaky Blinder number, it was about Birmingham for me. And I was like, ‘You cannot let your city down’.”

Carney has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and ITV Sport and told the Guardian in November that the online abuse she received “crushed my confidence”.

The former footballer had joined the England women’s national team in 2005 and earned 144 caps for her country over a 14-year period.

The final of Strictly will begin with a group routine from the professional dancers and this year’s finalists, before they each perform three times in a bid to be crowned Strictly champion.

Each contestant will revisit a previous routine, perform a show dance and then take to the floor to perform their favourite routine from the series.

The full cast of the 2025 series will also return to the dance floor for a group number.

The Strictly Come Dancing 2025 final will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 7pm on Saturday.