Is it just me who can't bear her, she is very overpowering and full of herself and she really can't stop going on about her win with the "gorgeous" Ramps...:yawn:

I hate to say it but I hope she goes out early again

nope I cant bear her either

Gosh the we hate Karen threads are starting even before the show this year! Blimey!

I love her and she doesn't go on about Ramps and winning anymore than Lilia or Darren or any of the others and at the end of the day we all like different people. I hope this year perhaps we can have more positive threads than last year when there were many vitriolic and very nasty personal comments about Karen- none of the pros deserve that

Sorry I wouldn't be rude towards her as I am sure she is a good dancer, I just prefer others... I just find it very hard to like her.

I am just interested to know what others thought.

I like Karen. She's a lovely person, and a great dancer.

Not a nice topic either considering she reads this thread.

And olivej, I thought you liked Karen after you met her?

EL I wasn't trying to suggest you were being rude, or even would be, but last year things degenerated very badly and there were some truly vile comments about her- very personal. In fact lots of people stopped coming on the boards last year.

Lets hope this year it will all be fun- it seems the contestents were all in that frame of mind!

I agree that the pros do not deserve personal comments against them, but at the end of the day Karen is not bigger than SCD, but yet she thinks she is.

Her comment tonight of 'history was made' when she won with Ramps showed that - she thinks now she is bigger than the show itself and it isn't attractive.

That type of comment is exactly what puts me off her I am afraid. We all have couples that will probably go first and I am afraid, I hope she goes early.

To me she seems very full of herself and answers the judges back very quickly and that puts me off her.

I want to like Karen, I really do, but she does come out with some crass comments.

strictly would be boring without Karen.

she's not my fave pro,
but ive met all of them except the new dancers....I think Karen is really lovely!! she takes time talking to people, and she is such a fun teacher!!!
there are a couple of pros on the show who on scd come across as nicey nice....but in real life its not the case!!!!
....believe me!!!!!!

but I like Karen, and Im glad she's on the show!

To be fair I imagine all the winners probably think of their win as making Strictly history, and in one sense or another they all did.

I honestly think a lot of the problem people have with Karen's confidence is because she's a woman. Brendan could have said something like that quite easily, and it wouldn't have earned him a thread talking about it!
Not saying that is what people here are feeling, but I do see a lot of comments about her competitiveness which make me wonder...

As long as you don't break my heart and say one of them is Matthew Cutler, I don't care about the rest!

Its not because she is a woman at all, I am all for a girl winning and if Flavia had have won last year, I would have said well done to her...I think she is a remarkable dancer but with Karen, I just can't warm to her at all... I find she boasts a lot and thinks she is better than I think she is...

noooooooooooooo...Matthew is LOVELY!!!!!!
LOVE HIM TO BITS!!!!!
he's a true gentleman!!

Well like I said, I don't think it's true for everyone. I just think some people find competitive or ambitious women a bit off-putting, and I think it's a bit sad when women are judged for saying things men would easily get away with.

Flavia isn't really open like Karen anyway though so she doesn't invite that kind of criticism in the first place.

She didn't say that she made Strictly history...she said she 'made history'. But she didn't, she was one half of a duo who won a TV entertainment show. She wasn't even the first female pro to win, so i have no idea what she could have meant.

My view has nothing to do with her competitiveness or her being female. I liked her in her first 2 series, it is since then she has become unbearable.

There are 4 other winners who have not played on it like she has

Well Brendan's win has almost been airbrushed out of Strictly history .

I don't mind Karen being competitive, or strict. I really liked her with Bill Turnball but she seemed to cross a line with Mark Ramprakash that I found uncomfortable to watch. I will also never forget her comments to the judges about "the jive was my greatest dance" after they slated the routine she did with Ramps.

I have always felt that Karen was above criticism on here though, and I must have missed the threads with the vitriolic comments.

Pheww!!

She really isn't, in fact I'd say she gets more than any other pro. It's not very nice reading sometimes. I'm not really her biggest fan but I don't think she really deserves a lot of the criticism she gets on DS.

Agree with you on that. Having said that, I've never met her and reports of people who have met her are positive, my dance teacher had lessons from her years ago and says she's a lovely person so maybe it's just that she doesn't come across well on tv.

Better at what - dancing ?

Have to agree. I mean there are other pros who are the same as Karen but don't get criticised at all. I'm not Karen's biggest fan at all but she seems to love dance with a passion and maybe that can explain it.

I think all the pro dancers (and contestants) get a fair amount of criticism on here. Poor old Brian whatsit is already getting stick because of his eyebrows


I am sure she is lovely, and a great teacher. Everyone that has met her is very positive as you say. But she does make some ill judged remarks.

That could be the case but she doesn't come across very well, she thinks she is the best dancer and thinks she should get high marks all the time and she should know that she is there to be judged upon and not answer back like she does.

She may be nice and friendly but I don't like the personality that comes across.

I took to Karen straightaway- she and Bill were so good in the first series- and I cried when she got voted out- because she wears her heart on her sleeve