Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev have made it through to the Strictly Come Dancing semi-finals after beating Charles Venn and Karen Clifton in the dreaded dance-off on Sunday. Charles, 45, and Karen, 36, were the tenth couple to leave after performing a gorgeous Rumba to Maria from West Side Story. The judges chose to save Ashley, 37, and 38, despite it being the second consecutive week they'd faced the dance-off. Karen's departure comes after what she called a 'tough' week in an Instagram post on Friday. Posting a photo of her dogs Betty and Marley, she captioned it: "They make any tough day go away…" Karen had also posted another photo last weekend of herself relaxing on the sofa with her dogs and a cup of tea, along with the word: "Mood".
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Karen and Charles are the 11th couple to leave Strictly
When asked by presenter Tess Daly about his time on the show, Charles 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."
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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."
WATCH: karen and Kevin Clifton will tour together
Karen's soon-to-be ex-husband Kevin Clifton remains in the competition with his dance partner Stacey Dooley, and Karen will continue to dance with the cast until the series ends.
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