Karen Clifton hasn’t spoken to Will Young since he quit Strictly: "He was the partner that got away"

The former Pop Idol winner left the competition after three weeks citing personal reasons for his premature departure.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com, Clifton said: "I haven’t really been in touch with Will since the show.

“I think everybody understands his reasons and we all understand, but it’s hard when there’s the other half. It’s my job and I love my job and it was really hard for me to stay behind and see everybody have an amazing series and not to be a part of it.”

Kevin and Karen Clifton in the Kevin and Karen Dance live show

Describing Young as “the partner that got away”, Clifton – who is about to embark on a nationwide dance tour with husband Kevin – said: “He was great when I first started, I was like ‘I have somebody who can really do a lot of special things’, so it really did break my heart when he walked.”

“I wait around a year for a job like this – to have the best time a dancer can have. And it was really hard for me to really get a grip around it. Obviously I completely support his decision, but it was really hard to see and to be a part of the show after he left at a very early stage.

“I’ve had some great partners in the past and I’m still friends with all of them, but this time I had one that really had something that could really do everything that I wanted him to do. He had that thing that you wait for every year.”

Tickets for the Kevin and Karen Dance live show are now on sale.