Karen Clifton and her celebrity partner Charles Venn were sadly voted off in the Strictly Come Dancing quarter-final on Sunday night, and Karen's ex-husband Kevin Clifton was quick to comfort her. The star - who had watched the couple's last dance from the sidelines after making it through to the semi-final with partner Stacey Dooley - quickly walked across the floor to give Karen a long hug in front of the cameras. Many fans noticed the sweet moment, too, taking to social media to react.
Kevin and Karen's sweet hug. Image: BBC
"What a lovely hug Kevin gave Karen just on #strictly. Now that's the way to behave post break-up. No animosity merely accepting sometimes you're together for a reason and a season but not a lifetime and cherish those memories," one wrote, while another added: "Love the way that Kevin went straight to Karen and hugged her, and it seemed to go on a while. Proves there’s still love there and they care about each other deeply."
MORE: Strictly's Kevin Clifton breaks silence following Aljaz Skorjanec replacement news
Karen and Charles were voted out unanimously about the judges after competing in the dance off against Ashley Roberts and her partner Pasha Kovalev. When asked by presenter Tess Daly about his time on the show, the Casualty actor said: "Before I go through dances or memories I have to pay extreme homage to this woman here because Karen Clifton turned me into a promising dancer. A promising dancer honestly! This woman has been by my side and supported me, she’s been strict, she’s been solid, she’s been caring and loving, sensitive, intuitive, and I’m adamant that without her I don’t know how I would have got to this level."
Charles and Karen performed a beautiful rhumba in the quarter-final
An emotional Karen replied by saying: "Oh Charles. I can only say that you have been the most humble, the most professional person who I've ever worked with. And thank you for always respecting me as a woman, as a friend and as a teacher, and I will never forget this journey that we had together."
MORE: Strictly Come Dancing's Karen and Kevin Clifton open up in first interview since split
