đź”— Share this article Strictly Come Dancing Winners Announced in Spectacular Grand Final This piece covers the conclusion of the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing culminating event. View: Scene Strictly 2025 winners are declared Former Lioness Karen Carney has been declared this year's Strictly champion, emerging as the first footballer to lift the glitterball trophy. She defeated Love Islander Amber Davies and online influencer George Clarke after securing the audience vote in Saturday's grand finale. Carney, who was paired with pro partner Carlos Gu, said: "It's unbelievable, it's been the biggest honour," before saying she was "lost for words". It was an poignant night in the ballroom, as hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly fronted the final for the final occasion - with the Queen among those paying tribute to the long-running hosts. Hosts Tess and Claudia say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing In a note presented by panelist Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said Daly and Winkleman's "kindness, empathy and pure joy" had been at the core of the show's success, adding: "I think I speak for everyone when I say you have been utterly fab-u-lous". Karen Carney and Carlos Gu with the glitterball trophy - their football-themed jive to 'One Way Or Another' by Blondie earned them a standing ovation. Following tradition, one of the dances in the grand finale was selected by the judges, one was their own preferred dance from the competition, and the other was a freestyle routine. The judges gave guidance scores but the viewing audience made the ultimate choice. Carney and Gu performed routines including a freestyle 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 standing ovation - and their second full marks of the night. Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin were the first couple to take to the dance floor in the final. But the winning duo faced strong competition from the other remaining couples. Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the initial to take to the stage. The pair delivered dances including a freestyle to 'Rain On Me' by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, a Paso Doble to 'Dream On' by Aerosmith, and a upbeat dance to 'Proud Mary'. Meanwhile, George Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr performed again their Paso Doble to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. They also did their freestyle routine to 'Human' by The Killers, and a Viennese Waltz to 'Somebody to Love' by Queen. But after weeks of ballroom dances, it was Carney and Gu's night as they won the viewer poll. "I just want to say thank you to everybody that has backed our journey, and supported us," said Carney. Gu told her she had "changed my life," adding: "To the girls and boys watching at home, dream big and be confident and never give up." Social media star George Clarke and Alexis Warr chose to repeat their favourite dance from the series, a powerful routine to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. Other highlights on the night included most of the cast of 2025 coming back for one more performance. However, online figure Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had claimed earlier that the vote that saw him exit the show was unfair. A spokesperson rejected the allegation, saying the show's public vote was "externally monitored and checked to ensure complete accuracy". The boyband Five also performed a selection of their hits during the finale. The Hosts' Last Show A photo from the emotional final presentation by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. In October, Daly and Winkleman made the surprise announcement that they would be leaving their roles at the end of this year's series. Daly has presented since the first series 21 years ago. Winkleman joined in 2014, having fronted Strictly's sister show It Takes Two since 2004. This was their final time hosting a Strictly final, and both were overcome with emotion as they signed off. During the live broadcast, as well as the message from the Queen, there were recorded notes from celebrity chef Mary Berry, members of the crew and fans of the show. The Queen's message said: "It has often seemed to me that Strictly is not so much a show about dancing as about relationships: the connections created, the struggles conquered and the happiness experienced in undertaking a shared challenge. "Should that be the case, then perhaps yours has been the greatest Strictly pairing of all. "The warmth, compassion and sheer happiness you have projected with and from each other has been at the centre of the show's appeal." Daly and Winkleman's last ever appearance will be the Christmas special, which is broadcast on 25 December.
This piece covers the conclusion of the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing culminating event. View: Scene Strictly 2025 winners are declared Former Lioness Karen Carney has been declared this year's Strictly champion, emerging as the first footballer to lift the glitterball trophy. She defeated Love Islander Amber Davies and online influencer George Clarke after securing the audience vote in Saturday's grand finale. Carney, who was paired with pro partner Carlos Gu, said: "It's unbelievable, it's been the biggest honour," before saying she was "lost for words". It was an poignant night in the ballroom, as hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly fronted the final for the final occasion - with the Queen among those paying tribute to the long-running hosts. Hosts Tess and Claudia say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing In a note presented by panelist Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said Daly and Winkleman's "kindness, empathy and pure joy" had been at the core of the show's success, adding: "I think I speak for everyone when I say you have been utterly fab-u-lous". Karen Carney and Carlos Gu with the glitterball trophy - their football-themed jive to 'One Way Or Another' by Blondie earned them a standing ovation. Following tradition, one of the dances in the grand finale was selected by the judges, one was their own preferred dance from the competition, and the other was a freestyle routine. The judges gave guidance scores but the viewing audience made the ultimate choice. Carney and Gu performed routines including a freestyle 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 standing ovation - and their second full marks of the night. Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin were the first couple to take to the dance floor in the final. But the winning duo faced strong competition from the other remaining couples. Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the initial to take to the stage. The pair delivered dances including a freestyle to 'Rain On Me' by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, a Paso Doble to 'Dream On' by Aerosmith, and a upbeat dance to 'Proud Mary'. Meanwhile, George Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr performed again their Paso Doble to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. They also did their freestyle routine to 'Human' by The Killers, and a Viennese Waltz to 'Somebody to Love' by Queen. But after weeks of ballroom dances, it was Carney and Gu's night as they won the viewer poll. "I just want to say thank you to everybody that has backed our journey, and supported us," said Carney. Gu told her she had "changed my life," adding: "To the girls and boys watching at home, dream big and be confident and never give up." Social media star George Clarke and Alexis Warr chose to repeat their favourite dance from the series, a powerful routine to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. Other highlights on the night included most of the cast of 2025 coming back for one more performance. However, online figure Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had claimed earlier that the vote that saw him exit the show was unfair. A spokesperson rejected the allegation, saying the show's public vote was "externally monitored and checked to ensure complete accuracy". The boyband Five also performed a selection of their hits during the finale. The Hosts' Last Show A photo from the emotional final presentation by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. In October, Daly and Winkleman made the surprise announcement that they would be leaving their roles at the end of this year's series. Daly has presented since the first series 21 years ago. Winkleman joined in 2014, having fronted Strictly's sister show It Takes Two since 2004. This was their final time hosting a Strictly final, and both were overcome with emotion as they signed off. During the live broadcast, as well as the message from the Queen, there were recorded notes from celebrity chef Mary Berry, members of the crew and fans of the show. The Queen's message said: "It has often seemed to me that Strictly is not so much a show about dancing as about relationships: the connections created, the struggles conquered and the happiness experienced in undertaking a shared challenge. "Should that be the case, then perhaps yours has been the greatest Strictly pairing of all. "The warmth, compassion and sheer happiness you have projected with and from each other has been at the centre of the show's appeal." Daly and Winkleman's last ever appearance will be the Christmas special, which is broadcast on 25 December.