STRICTLY sweethearts Karen and Kevin Clifton are passionate about dance.

They teach, watch, perform, live and breathe it. They met during a dance show, Kevin even proposed during a dance show, and as well as their annual spot on the hit BBC ONE show Strictly Come Dancing and in the spin-off live tour, they are now hitting the road with their own (you guessed it) dance show.

“It’s been a while in the planning – we have been thinking of doing it for the last five years,” explains Kevin.

“Is it brave to put our own story out there? Maybe. It’s a bit scary too, without the Strictly crowd behind us. We’re just out there on our own.

“But we are just really excited about doing it. We want to show people our experiences, our influences and how we came together from very different directions.”

‘Very different’ barely covers it – Karen was born in Venezuela and moved to New York when she was nine; Kevin grew up in Grimsby, in the north of England. Karen discovered dance as a way of escape; Kevin’s parents were world champions who ran a dance school.

“Dancing for me, when I was growing up, helped me escape from whatever I was going through at the time,” explains Karen, who grew up in a ‘tough’ neighbourhood blighted by drugs and gangs.

“It helped build up my confidence. It was a teacher who suggested I go along to this project that helped kids from difficult backgrounds – I remember finally feeling I was part of something.”

Halfway around the world, Kevin grew up surrounded by dancers, from his grandmother, who was a quickstep world champion, to his parents and aunt, who were Latin world champions.

His earliest memories involve watching the classes from the back, as his parents taught, and then forming a partnership with his sister Joanne (who is also now one of the Strictly professionals.)

But there was a time when he fell out of love with ballroom dancing – and it was Karen who inspired him to continue.

“I got fed up with competing and a little down about the whole dance world at the time – I was searching for something different,” he explains.

“I thought about musical theatre for a while, travelled about a bit and tried new things, but it was when I got back to London and saw Karen dance, with such passion and energy, that I was inspired to dance again.”

Karen is equally complimentary. “I love Kevin’s ideas, the way he comes up with different things to try – his take on dance is always so new and fresh,” she says, earnestly.

“What’s good about this show is that it shows how we feed off each other, how we share the same passion.”

She stops, perhaps aware it all sounds a little like a sugary sweet episode of Fame: The Musical. “I also loved that northern accent,” she deadpans. “THAT’S what I fell in love with, right there….”

Kevin grins: “I remember on one of our first dates we went to a salsa bar and I thought – yes, now I can impress this beautiful woman with my brilliant moves.

“When we came out, all she said was – don’t you ever shimmy like that in front of me again. Yeah, my moves were great – in front of an ACTUAL South American, who grew up on salsa…..”

Karen laughs: “I forgave him. We ARE very different, there’s no doubt about that. But we have the same mentality, share the same passion.”

The couple recently set up their own dance school.

“I love it,” says Karen, simply. “I think my own experience showed me how much it can mean to a young person to get involved in dance.

“It’s fantastic to be able to give kids something to do, something to inspire them. They love it when we pop in which we try to do as much as we can.”

Karen and Kevin are looking forward to bringing the show to Glasgow, a city they know well from previous appearances on the Strictly Live tour.

“We know Glasgow audiences are the loudest,” grins Kevin. “We’re hoping to get some of the same love and energy when we come up in June.”

The show is billed as a “sultry, hip-swinging journey through the waltz, cha cha, foxtrot, tango and salsa; a high-energy performance filled with sassy tunes, heart-pounding choreography and sparking costumes.”

Kevin and Karen are backed by a supporting cast of dancers with a live 12-piece show band and each venue will be offering members of the audience an opportunity to be up on stage to dance with the couple.

The tour runs through to June, traditionally when rumours start to circulate about which celebrities might be appearing on the next series of Strictly.

In recent years, Kevin has come close to lifting the Glitterball trophy – he is the only Strictly professional to reach the final for three consecutive years.

After making a spectacular debut with Breakfast News presenter Susanna Reid, he went on to make finals with popstar Frankie Bridge, Eastenders actress Kellie Bright and singer and TV presenter Louise Redknapp.

Karen has appeared in five series, partnering Nicky Byrne from Westlife, then “Hairy Biker” Dave Myers, and reaching the final with Mark Wright before stealing the show in 2015 with Jeremy Vine. Her spell on the 2016 series ended abruptly when partner Will Young left citing personal reasons, much to Karen’s disappointment.

But both love being part of the series.

“It’s a proper, fun, family show,” says Kevin, simply. “It’s comfort blanket television – people know what to expect and they love it. And it is a genuinely nice show to be part of – there’s nothing spiky about it, in general everyone supports each other. Everyone wants you to do well.”

Before Strictly starts in earnest, however, the couple are busy with their own tour and dance school. Life, they say, is packed.

“We had a holiday once, I remember…when was that?” jokes Karen, frowning in mock concentration.

“I guess we are workaholics, we like keeping busy, creating projects.”

She grins: “It can get a bit crazy and we don’t get much time at home together with our little rescue dog. Rest? What is that? But we like keeping busy. We can rest when we are 75, right?”

Karen and Kevin DANCE comes to Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on June 6. Tickets are available to buy at http://kevinandkarenlive.com