Strictly Come Dancing Winners Announced in Glitzy Grand Final

This report details the outcome of the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing championship.

Ex- England footballer Karen Carney has been declared this year's Strictly Come Dancing winner, becoming the first footballer to lift the coveted trophy.

She beat reality TV star Amber Davies and social media star George Clarke after securing the audience vote in Saturday's live final.

Carney, who was dancing with pro partner Carlos Gu, said: "This is incredible, it's been the biggest privilege," before adding she was "overwhelmed".

It was an emotional 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 message read out by panelist Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said Daly and Winkleman's "kindness, empathy and pure joy" had been at the heart of the show's popularity, stating: "On behalf of all viewers when I say you have been utterly wonderful".

Following tradition, one of the dances in the grand finale was chosen by the judges, one was their own preferred dance from the series, and the other was a freestyle routine.

The judges gave advisory scores but the viewing audience made the final decision.

Carney and Gu executed routines including a show dance to 'Inner Smile' by Texas, and an Argentine Tango to 'Red Right Hand' by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.

They also performed a sports-inspired 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 fierce competition from the other competing couples.

Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the first to grace the dance floor.

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 jive 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 topped the viewer poll.

"I just want to say thank you to everybody that has backed our experience, and supported us," said Carney.

Gu told her she had "been transformative," commenting: "To the girls and boys watching at home, aim high and be confident and never give up."

Other highlights on the night included most of the cast of 2025 coming back for one more performance.

Yet, online figure Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had claimed earlier that the vote that saw him exit the show was unfair.

A representative denied the claim, saying the show's audience vote was "independently overseen and checked to ensure complete accuracy".

The boyband Five also performed a string of their hits during the grand final.

The Hosts' Final Show

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 hosted since the inaugural series 21 years ago. Winkleman came on board in 2014, having fronted Strictly's companion program It Takes Two since 2004.

This was their final time presenting a Strictly final, and both were full of emotion as they signed off.

During the televised event, as well as the message from the Queen, there were messages from celebrity chef Mary Berry, members of the production team and devotees 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 friendships: the connections forged, the struggles overcome and the happiness shared in undertaking a shared challenge.

"Should that be the case, then perhaps yours has been the greatest Strictly partnership of all.

"The warmth, compassion and pure 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 airs on 25 December.