Will it be an American smooth or a tango at Worcester Racecourse next month when top ballroom dancer Karen Hardy hits town?

One of the stars of the hit TV show Strictly Come Dancing, Ms Hardy will be swopping the sequins for a role as the guest speaker at the Enterprising Women’s Conference on Wednesday, November 18.

She is well-known as the professional dancer who took her celebrity partner, cricketer Mark Ramprakash through to the finals of Strictly, becoming series four champions. With her professional dance partner, Ms Hardy was voted “the most outstanding professional Latin American ouple” by the Ballroom Dancers Federation and she has a list of ballroom and Latin dance titles, which she gained before retiring from professional dance competitions in 1999.

She joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2005 and won the show in 2006 with Ramprakash. Ms Hardy partnered actor Brian Capron in 2007 and TV chef Gary Rhodes in 2008. This year she has utilised her extensive experience and knowledge of the dance world to create the Karen Hardy Dance Studio in London. Margaret Gray from Midwest Rural Enterprise Community Interest Company, which is organising the conference with Worcestershire County Council, said: “I am very excited that Karen has agreed to be our guest speaker.

“She is a real inspiration and we are looking forward to finding out what motivated her to start her own business and how she manages her time being a mum, a dancer and a successful businesswoman.

“I know that there are a lot of women in Worcester who are looking forward to meeting Karen”.

The Enterprising Women’s Conference is being held at Worcester Racecourse from 9am to 3pm on November 18.

There will be workshops and good networking opportunities as well as a chance to visit stands run by existing social enterprises and business support organisations.

Tickets cost £23 each. For a booking form, e-mail margaretg@midwest- rural.org.uk or lmayo@worcestershire.gov.uk or telephone 79836 65350.