Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer on Strictly Come Dancing on September 27, 2025 / BBC
Strictly Come Dancing pro Karen Hauer has praised her celeb partner Harry Aikines-Aryeetey’s physical strength as they gear up for their second week on the dancefloor.
The ex-Team GB athlete made an eye-catching debut last weekend with a routine that paid nods to his former career and at one point saw him do press-ups with Hauer standing on his back in heels.
“Let me tell you, my heel was cushioned by his back!” Hauer joked on Strictly It Takes Two. “He’s got muscles in his back like pillows! I actually felt better doing it in heels than I did in flats… I was actually surfing!”
“It’s light work for me, genuinely,” said Aikines-Aryeetey, who also stars on Gladiators under the moniker ‘Nitro’.
“People don’t understand how hard it is to balance on my back while I’m moving, so the core strength that this woman has is unreal. Once you’re in, just commit!”
Hauer also lauded her partner’s work ethic, adding: “I just love his enthusiasm, he’s always very positive and he’s just such a good guy. He just wants to do well, he’s always looking at me like ‘what’s next Karen?’ It’s really nice to see that he pays attention to everything.”
The pair return to the Strictly dancefloor this Saturday – BBC One at 6.20pm – with a Quickstep to ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’ by The Blues Brothers.
See also: Strictly Come Dancing: Week two songs and dances revealed
