Former Lionesses midfielder Karen Carney banished an 18-year curse by finishing top of the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard on Saturday. The ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder put an end to stereotypes surrounding footballers and their ability to perform on the dance floor with a fantastic performance which has received widespread praise.
Carney wows spectators with jive to Blondie's 'One Way or Another'
Performing to Blondie’s classic hit ‘One Way or Another’, Carney and her professional dancing partner Carlos Gu wowed spectators with a brilliant jive during the first live show of the 2025 edition of the popular dancing programme. So good was Carney’s performance that she earned a score of 31 from the judges, meaning her and Gu topped the table for the evening.
AdvertisementEx-Lioness was overjoyed after finishing top during an 'amazing' show
Speaking after her performance, Carney said live on "Everyone did a great job. Honestly, it’s been an amazing show, hasn’t it?"
Carney joined by fellow ex-footballer Hasselbaink on the night
Carney was not the only former footballer who performed brilliantly on the night, with ex-Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink finishing third with his professional partner, Lauren Oakley. Dancing to The Fratellis’ tune Chelsea Dagger, Hasselbaink received a score of 27 from the judges, meaning he finished third.
Carney succeeds where other past footballers have failed
Carney’s efforts in particular finally put to bed claims footballers could only perform on the pitch and not the dance floor. Several footballers have tried and failed to reach the top of the leaderboard over the years, including her former Lionesses team-mate Alex Scott. Other footballers who have appeared in the Strictly ballroom include ex-goalkeepers Peter Schmeichel, Peter Shilton and David James, as well as John Barnes, Robbie Savage and Tony Adams.
