‘Strictly Come Dancing’ professionals Kevin and Karen Clifton have announced they’ve split up after months of speculation.

The couple, who married in July 2015, confirmed they have gone their separate ways during an interview on Chris Evans’ Radio 2 breakfast show on Thursday morning (15 March).

Kevin said: “We just wanted to let everyone know that privately we are not together anymore but professionally we are stronger than ever before.

“Dance is how we came together and is the glue that has held us together for years now. We’ve danced on Broadway, the West End, we have five Strictly finals between us.

“We’re still the best of friends – we’ve got a lot of love and respect for each other. I still see Karen pretty much every day…we’re always throwing ideas around and putting things together creatively.

“What we’ve found is that since we’ve been honest with each other about our relationship, we’ve unlocked this new wealth of creativity and we’re taking our professional relationship to the next level now.”

Karen added: “We have such great chemistry and for us it’s all about the storytelling and giving the best performance and entertaining and inspiring.

“At the end of the day it’s about giving back to our fans and we love dancing together so much. We’re feeling very positive and it’s going to be one of the best tours.”

Rumours that the couple’s marriage was on the rocks first surfaced in November last year, when Kevin apologised to Karen live on ‘Strictly’.

After he and his partner Susan Calman were voted off the BBC ballroom show, Kevin used his exit speech to thank Karen for “putting up with him”. 

He said: “When ‘Strictly’ is on I’m not the easiest person to live with, I go a bit mad so I’d like to say first of all thanks to my wife for putting up with me.”

Karen later admitted her marriage to Kevin needed “work”.

She said: “We’re just a regular couple, we’ve been together for seven years and like any other relationship you have your ups and downs and nothing is ever perfect so you make it work.”

During their interview with Chris Evans, the couple also took the opportunity to announce they are set to tour the UK together this year.

They also revealed that they’d both love to return to ‘Strictly’ when the new series kicks off in October.

Kevin said: “We don’t know yet… we hope to. We get told at the end of the year. If they were to ask back then we’d both be delighted to go back. We love Strictly.”