Strictly Winners Crowned in Glitzy Grand Final
This report details the result of the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing championship.
Ex- England footballer Karen Carney has been crowned this year's Strictly champion, becoming the first footballer to win the coveted trophy.
She beat reality TV star Amber Davies and online influencer George Clarke after securing the audience vote in Saturday's live final.
Carney, who was dancing with pro partner Carlos Gu, remarked: "This is incredible, it's been the biggest honour," before saying she was "overwhelmed".
It was an poignant night in the ballroom, as presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly fronted the final for the last time - with the Queen among those offering praise to the veteran hosts.
In a note presented by panelist Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said Daly and Winkleman's "kindness, compassion and sheer happiness" had been at the core of the show's success, stating: "On behalf of all viewers when I say you have been utterly fab-u-lous".
As usual, one of the dances in the grand finale was chosen by the judges, one was their own preferred dance from the competition, and the other was a freestyle routine.
The judges gave advisory scores but the viewing audience made the final decision.
Carney and Gu performed dances including a show dance to 'Inner Smile' by Texas, and an tango to 'Red Right Hand' by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.
They also performed a football-themed jive to 'One Way Or Another' by Blondie, earning them a rapturous reception - and their second perfect score of the night.
But the victorious pair faced stiff competition from the other competing couples.
Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the initial to take to the dance floor.
The pair delivered dances including a show dance to 'Rain On Me' by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, a Paso Doble to 'Dream On' by Aerosmith, and a jive to 'Proud Mary'.
Meanwhile, George Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr revisited their dramatic dance to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle.
They also did their freestyle routine to 'Human' by The Killers, and a classical waltz to 'Somebody to Love' by Queen.
But after weeks of ballroom dances, it was Carney and Gu's night as they topped the public vote.
"My sincere thanks go to everybody that has backed our journey, and supported us," said Carney.
Gu told her she had "been transformative," adding: "To the young people watching at home, dream big and be confident and never give up."
Other memorable moments on the night included most of the cast of 2025 coming back for one more performance.
Yet, social media personality Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had claimed earlier that the vote that saw him exit the show was unfair.
A spokesperson rejected the claim, saying the show's public vote was "externally monitored and checked to ensure complete fairness".
The boyband Five also performed a string of their hits during the finale.
Tess and Claudia's Last Final
In October, Daly and Winkleman made the shock announcement that they would be stepping down at the end of this year's series.
Daly has presented since the inaugural series 21 years ago. Winkleman came on board in 2014, having hosted Strictly's companion program It Takes Two since 2004.
This was their last time presenting a Strictly final, and both were full of feeling as they signed off.
During the televised event, as well as the tribute from the Queen, there were messages from celebrity chef Mary Berry, members of the crew and devotees of the show.
The Queen's message read: "It has often seemed to me that Strictly is not so much a show about dancing as about relationships: the connections forged, the challenges conquered and the joy experienced in undertaking a joint challenge.
"Should that be the case, then perhaps yours has been the most significant Strictly pairing of all.
"The kindness, compassion and pure happiness you have radiated with and from each other has been at the heart of the show's appeal."
Daly and Winkleman's final show will be the holiday episode, which airs on 25 December.
