Strictly’s Karen Hauer ‘dating handsome ex-rugby player Simon Davidson’ after he supported her during BBC final – following shock of dancer’s split from husband

Strictly speaking, Karen Hauer is dating ex-rugby player Simon Davidson after they were spotted together during the BBC show’s final in December – following her shock split from husband Jordan Wyn-Jones.

The 41-year-old 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.”

The dancer is said to have enjoyed a romantic getaway with the personal trainer and marketing manager (pictured together leaving the Strictly Come Dancing final in December)

It emerged that Karen had split from husband Jordan (pictured) in October after they married last year, describing the ceremony as a ‘fairy tale’ at the time

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Karen for comment.

Simon works as a senior sports marketing manager for Adidas and specializes in promoting rugby and boxing for the brand.

Karen and her estranged husband Jordan got married last year 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.

Simon (pictured) works as a senior sports marketing manager for Adidas and specializes in promoting rugby and boxing for the brand

The couple also reportedly enjoyed a romantic getaway over the holidays

They were introduced by co-star Gorka Marquez and his partner Gemma Atkinson (pictured)

“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.”

Her 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.

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.”

In August this year, Karen revealed that she and Jordan were having counseling to help them with their relationship.

She said Hello! magazine: ‘Advisory. You know what I think communication is huge, but learning to communicate, you know, so we get outside help.

“So when we have tough moments or something like that, it’s just seeing and understanding the vulnerable side of each other, and knowing that we’re both working on things because nobody’s perfect.”

She added: ‘There is no such thing as a happy marriage or a happy relationship with the perfect couple.

“It’s about dealing with things the right way and not just running away from things, and I think that allows us to understand and understand each other even better.”