🔗 Share this article Strictly Champions Announced in Spectacular Grand Finale This report details the result of the Strictly Come Dancing 2025 championship. View: Scene Strictly Come Dancing 2025 winners are declared Ex- England footballer Karen Carney has been crowned this year's Strictly champion, becoming the first footballer to lift the glitterball trophy. She defeated Love Islander Amber Davies and online influencer George Clarke after securing the public vote in Saturday's grand finale. Carney, who was dancing with pro partner Carlos Gu, remarked: "This is incredible, it's been the biggest honour," before saying she was "lost for words". It was an emotional night in the ballroom, as hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly fronted the final for the final occasion - with Queen Camilla among those paying tribute to the long-running hosts. Hosts 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 "warmth, compassion and sheer happiness" had been at the core of the show's popularity, stating: "On behalf of all viewers when I say you have been utterly fab-u-lous". Karen Carney and Carlos Gu with the championship trophy - their football-themed jive to 'One Way Or Another' by Blondie earned them a rapturous applause. As usual, one of the dances in the final show was chosen by the judges, one was their own favourite dance from the competition, and the other was a show dance. The judges gave guidance scores but the viewing audience made the final decision. Carney and Gu executed dances 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 winning pair faced fierce rivalry from the other remaining couples. Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the first to grace the stage. The pair delivered dances including a show dance to 'Rain On Me' by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, a Spanish-inspired dance to 'Dream On' by Aerosmith, and a jive to 'Proud Mary'. In another performance, George Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr performed again their dramatic dance to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. They also did their show dance to 'Human' by The Killers, and a classical waltz to 'Somebody to Love' by Queen. But after weeks of tangos, it was Carney and Gu's night as they topped the viewer poll. "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 girls and boys watching at home, aim high and be proud and never give up." Influencer George Clarke and Alexis Warr chose to revisit their favourite dance from the series, a powerful routine to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. Other memorable moments on the night included most of the cast of 2025 returning for one more performance. However, social media personality Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had alleged earlier that the vote that saw him leave the show was unfair. A representative rejected the claim, saying the show's public vote was "externally monitored and verified to ensure total accuracy". The group Five also performed a string of their hits during the grand final. Tess and Claudia's Last Show A photo 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 leaving their roles at the end of this year's season. Daly has hosted since the inaugural series 21 years ago. Winkleman joined in 2014, having hosted 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 live broadcast, as well as the tribute from the Queen, there were messages from TV cook Mary Berry, members of the production team 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 friendships: the connections created, the struggles overcome and the joy shared in undertaking a shared endeavour. "If that is true, then perhaps yours has been the most significant Strictly partnership of all. "The kindness, care and sheer joy you have projected with and from each other has been at the heart of the show's appeal." Daly and Winkleman's final show will be the Christmas special, which airs on 25 December.
This report details the result of the Strictly Come Dancing 2025 championship. View: Scene Strictly Come Dancing 2025 winners are declared Ex- England footballer Karen Carney has been crowned this year's Strictly champion, becoming the first footballer to lift the glitterball trophy. She defeated Love Islander Amber Davies and online influencer George Clarke after securing the public vote in Saturday's grand finale. Carney, who was dancing with pro partner Carlos Gu, remarked: "This is incredible, it's been the biggest honour," before saying she was "lost for words". It was an emotional night in the ballroom, as hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly fronted the final for the final occasion - with Queen Camilla among those paying tribute to the long-running hosts. Hosts 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 "warmth, compassion and sheer happiness" had been at the core of the show's popularity, stating: "On behalf of all viewers when I say you have been utterly fab-u-lous". Karen Carney and Carlos Gu with the championship trophy - their football-themed jive to 'One Way Or Another' by Blondie earned them a rapturous applause. As usual, one of the dances in the final show was chosen by the judges, one was their own favourite dance from the competition, and the other was a show dance. The judges gave guidance scores but the viewing audience made the final decision. Carney and Gu executed dances 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 winning pair faced fierce rivalry from the other remaining couples. Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the first to grace the stage. The pair delivered dances including a show dance to 'Rain On Me' by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, a Spanish-inspired dance to 'Dream On' by Aerosmith, and a jive to 'Proud Mary'. In another performance, George Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr performed again their dramatic dance to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. They also did their show dance to 'Human' by The Killers, and a classical waltz to 'Somebody to Love' by Queen. But after weeks of tangos, it was Carney and Gu's night as they topped the viewer poll. "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 girls and boys watching at home, aim high and be proud and never give up." Influencer George Clarke and Alexis Warr chose to revisit their favourite dance from the series, a powerful routine to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. Other memorable moments on the night included most of the cast of 2025 returning for one more performance. However, social media personality Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had alleged earlier that the vote that saw him leave the show was unfair. A representative rejected the claim, saying the show's public vote was "externally monitored and verified to ensure total accuracy". The group Five also performed a string of their hits during the grand final. Tess and Claudia's Last Show A photo 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 leaving their roles at the end of this year's season. Daly has hosted since the inaugural series 21 years ago. Winkleman joined in 2014, having hosted 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 live broadcast, as well as the tribute from the Queen, there were messages from TV cook Mary Berry, members of the production team 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 friendships: the connections created, the struggles overcome and the joy shared in undertaking a shared endeavour. "If that is true, then perhaps yours has been the most significant Strictly partnership of all. "The kindness, care and sheer joy you have projected with and from each other has been at the heart of the show's appeal." Daly and Winkleman's final show will be the Christmas special, which airs on 25 December.