BOURNEMOUTH’s professional dancer Karen Hardy has spoken of her shock at hearing Alesha Dixon is leaving the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel.

The former Strictly star, who won the show when she was partnered with cricketer Mark Ramprakash in 2006, has been touted as one of the possible replacements for Alesha, who told the BBC this week she was leaving to become a judge on rival ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent.

Karen has a dance studio in London and is a regular on Strictly’s spin-off show It Takes Two, but grew up in Bournemouth.

She used to live in Boscombe and went to Beaufort School.

She told the Echo: “I’m shocked to hear the news Alesha is going. I’m completely overwhelmed by the amazing support from my fans and through Facebook and Twitter.

“Obviously, as everything has happened so suddenly, it will be exciting to see what happens.”

Karen started dancing in Bournemouth aged five and competed in America for two years from the age of 18 winning both East and West Coast amateur championship titles.

She went on to win the United Kingdom Open, British National, European and World Masters before retiring from competitive dancing in 1999.

Karen was named Teacher of the Year in 2002 and 2003 at the Crystal Palace Dance Championships and is now an adjudicator, commentator and also an MC in the International Open to the World Championships at the Royal Albert Hall.

A BBC spokesperson said a new judge would be announced in due course.

Alesha will join the sixth series of Britain’s Got Talent later this year, appearing alongside the show’s creator Simon Cowell, comic David Walliams and Amanda Holden on the judging panel.

She said: “After three incredible years on the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel, I have decided that it is time to move on.”