🔗 Share this article Strictly Come Dancing Champions Announced in Glitzy Grand Finale This piece covers the outcome of the Strictly Come Dancing 2025 championship. View: Scene Strictly 2025 winners are declared Former Lioness Karen Carney has been named this year's Strictly champion, emerging as the first footballer to claim the coveted trophy. She defeated Love Islander Amber Davies and online influencer George Clarke after securing the public vote in Saturday's live final. Carney, who was paired with professional dancer Carlos Gu, said: "This is incredible, it's been the biggest privilege," before adding she was "overwhelmed". It was an heartfelt night in the studio, as presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly hosted the final for the last time - with the Queen among those paying tribute to the veteran hosts. Presenters Tess and Claudia bid farewell to Strictly Come Dancing In a message read out by panelist Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said Daly and Winkleman's "kindness, compassion and pure joy" had been at the core of the show's success, stating: "On behalf of all viewers when I say you have been utterly brilliant". 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. As usual, one of the dances in the final show was selected by the judges, one was their own favourite dance from the series, and the other was a show dance. The judges gave advisory scores but the viewing audience made the ultimate choice. Carney and Gu performed routines including a freestyle 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, garnering them a standing ovation - and their second perfect score of the night. Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin were the first couple to step onto the dance floor in the final. But the victorious pair faced fierce rivalry from the other remaining couples. Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the initial to take to the dance floor. The couple performed routines 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 performed again their Paso Doble to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. They also did their show dance to 'Human' by The Killers, and a Viennese Waltz to 'Somebody to Love' by Queen. But after weeks of tangos, it was Carney and Gu's night as they won the viewer poll. "I just want to say thank you to everybody that has supported our experience, 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." Influencer George Clarke and Alexis Warr opted to repeat their signature dance from the series, a Paso Doble to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. Other memorable moments on the night included most of the cast of 2025 coming back for one more routine. Yet, online figure Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had claimed earlier that the vote that saw him leave the show was rigged. A representative denied the allegation, saying the show's public vote was "independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy". The boyband Five also performed a string of their hits during the grand final. The Hosts' Final Show An image from the emotional final presentation by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Earlier this year, Daly and Winkleman made the shock revelation 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 joined in 2014, having hosted Strictly's sister show It Takes Two since 2004. This was their last time presenting a Strictly final, and both were full of emotion as they said their goodbyes. 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 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 bonds forged, the challenges overcome and the joy experienced in undertaking a joint endeavour. "If that is true, then perhaps yours has been the most significant Strictly partnership of all. "The kindness, care and pure joy you have projected with and from each other has been at the heart of the show's success." Daly and Winkleman's last ever show will be the Christmas special, which airs on 25 December.
This piece covers the outcome of the Strictly Come Dancing 2025 championship. View: Scene Strictly 2025 winners are declared Former Lioness Karen Carney has been named this year's Strictly champion, emerging as the first footballer to claim the coveted trophy. She defeated Love Islander Amber Davies and online influencer George Clarke after securing the public vote in Saturday's live final. Carney, who was paired with professional dancer Carlos Gu, said: "This is incredible, it's been the biggest privilege," before adding she was "overwhelmed". It was an heartfelt night in the studio, as presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly hosted the final for the last time - with the Queen among those paying tribute to the veteran hosts. Presenters Tess and Claudia bid farewell to Strictly Come Dancing In a message read out by panelist Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said Daly and Winkleman's "kindness, compassion and pure joy" had been at the core of the show's success, stating: "On behalf of all viewers when I say you have been utterly brilliant". 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. As usual, one of the dances in the final show was selected by the judges, one was their own favourite dance from the series, and the other was a show dance. The judges gave advisory scores but the viewing audience made the ultimate choice. Carney and Gu performed routines including a freestyle 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, garnering them a standing ovation - and their second perfect score of the night. Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin were the first couple to step onto the dance floor in the final. But the victorious pair faced fierce rivalry from the other remaining couples. Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the initial to take to the dance floor. The couple performed routines 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 performed again their Paso Doble to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. They also did their show dance to 'Human' by The Killers, and a Viennese Waltz to 'Somebody to Love' by Queen. But after weeks of tangos, it was Carney and Gu's night as they won the viewer poll. "I just want to say thank you to everybody that has supported our experience, 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." Influencer George Clarke and Alexis Warr opted to repeat their signature dance from the series, a Paso Doble to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. Other memorable moments on the night included most of the cast of 2025 coming back for one more routine. Yet, online figure Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had claimed earlier that the vote that saw him leave the show was rigged. A representative denied the allegation, saying the show's public vote was "independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy". The boyband Five also performed a string of their hits during the grand final. The Hosts' Final Show An image from the emotional final presentation by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Earlier this year, Daly and Winkleman made the shock revelation 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 joined in 2014, having hosted Strictly's sister show It Takes Two since 2004. This was their last time presenting a Strictly final, and both were full of emotion as they said their goodbyes. 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 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 bonds forged, the challenges overcome and the joy experienced in undertaking a joint endeavour. "If that is true, then perhaps yours has been the most significant Strictly partnership of all. "The kindness, care and pure joy you have projected with and from each other has been at the heart of the show's success." Daly and Winkleman's last ever show will be the Christmas special, which airs on 25 December.