Strictly's Karen Hauer puts on a loved-up show with new boyfriend Simon Davidson as they hold hands after the first show of the BBC tour in Birmingham

Strictly's Karen Hauer continued to give a loved-up performance with ex-rugby player Simon Davidson as they left the first live show of the BBC tour in Birmingham on Friday – just hours after confirming the romance.

The Venezuelan dancer, 41, who split from husband of 16 months Jordan Wyn-Jones last year, held her handsome new boyfriend as she left the Utilita Arena.

Karen threw on a quirky oversized yellow jacket over a green tracksuit and slipped her feet into comfortable trainers after dancing her socks off on stage.

Meanwhile, Simon – who now works as a senior sports marketing manager for Adidas – kept a low profile in a hoodie and jeans after supporting Karen's first appearance.

The new romance comes after the pair were first spotted together at the BBC finale of the show in December after her shock divorced from husband Jordan.

The dancer is said to have enjoyed a recent romantic getaway with the personal trainer and marketing executive after being introduced by co-star Gorka Marquez and his partner Gemma Atkinson.

A source said The mirror: 'Karen and Simon have a lot in common, so when Gemma and Gorka introduced them, we hit it off straight away'.

'Karen wanted to take things slow and at first they were friends for a while. But gradually things became romantic, and although they have tried to keep their relationship quiet, they are now a real couple.'

Adding: Karen's friends and family are happy because 2023 has been an incredibly difficult year for her and all they want is to see her happy.”

MailOnline contacted a representative for Karen for comment at the time.

Karen and her estranged husband Jordan got married in 2022 and described the ceremony at the time as a 'fairytale', but sources claimed the couple had gone their separate ways after a 'difficult time'.

Karen's estranged husband Jordan later told how their relationship crumbled just 16 months after their wedding day when Karen left for rehearsals, leaving him at home.

He told The Mail on Sunday: 'It's a bit of a love story, a sad story. I am incredibly sad that I am not in Karen's life, and not on this journey with her, but we are not a good fit in terms of her career. I will always admire her for her career, but it took a lot from her. She'd be gone and I'd be home alone.'

Central to their breakup was his desire to start a family conflicting with Karen's commitment to the show as its longest-serving professional.

After talking about having children, they moved from Karen's home in Wimbledon, south-west London, to the north of England, where they settled in the countryside with their four dogs.

But instead of fun evenings at home, Jordan says their relationship became a series of video and phone calls while his wife, an American-Venezuelan ballroom champion, traveled around the country.

“Karen is dedicated to her career, which she has worked very hard for,” Jordan said. “She's amazing and I admire her for that. That's one of the reasons I wanted to marry her – because of how powerful she is.

'But we wanted different things. There was a plan to have children, but there was no plan.

“When we first met, we discussed it. You say things like: 'I want to have children'. And she had told me that she would like to have children with me. But in the interview, Karen said, “Children are not the future” – which made me sad. I've always wanted to be a father.

'I wouldn't say it was a shock, but I knew subconsciously in the back of my mind…why would she want to have a child with me?

'I had become vacant in our relationship. I was loving and caring towards her, but I was vacant because of the situation we were in.”

Jordan said they broke down in tears when she admitted their marriage was over: “There were tears on both sides. Lots of tears and sadness. We didn't want to let go of each other, but we weren't right for each other either.

'If we had stayed together and not had a family, I feel like I would have hated her. This is the perfect time for us to love and leave each other.”