🔗 Share this article Strictly Champions Announced in Glitzy Grand Final This piece covers the result of the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing championship. Watch: Scene Strictly Come Dancing 2025 winners are crowned Ex- England footballer Karen Carney has been named this year's Strictly champion, emerging as the first footballer to claim the glitterball 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 paired with professional dancer Carlos Gu, remarked: "It's unbelievable, it's been the greatest honour," before saying she was "speechless". It was an heartfelt night in the ballroom, as presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly fronted the final for the last time - with the Queen among those paying tribute to the veteran hosts. Presenters 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, compassion and sheer joy" had been at the core of the show's success, adding: "On behalf of all viewers when I say you have been utterly brilliant". Karen Carney and Carlos Gu with the glitterball trophy - their soccer-inspired jive to 'One Way Or Another' by Blondie earned them a rapturous applause. Following tradition, one of the dances in the final show was chosen by the judges, one was their own favourite dance from the series, and the other was a freestyle routine. The judges gave guidance scores but the public made the final decision. Carney and Gu executed 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, earning them a rapturous reception - and their second perfect score of the night. Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin were the first couple to take to the stage in the final. But the victorious pair faced fierce rivalry from the other competing couples. Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the initial to grace the dance floor. The pair performed routines 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 upbeat dance to 'Proud Mary'. In another performance, George Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr reprised their dramatic dance 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 salsas and foxtrots, it was Carney and Gu's night as they topped the viewer poll. "My sincere thanks go to everybody that has supported our experience, and supported us," said Carney. Gu told her she had "been transformative," adding: "To the girls and boys watching at home, dream big and be confident and never give up." Influencer George Clarke and Alexis Warr chose to repeat their favourite dance from the series, a Paso Doble to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. 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 appear. He had alleged earlier that the vote that saw him leave the show was unfair. A representative rejected the allegation, saying the show's public vote was "externally monitored and checked to ensure total fairness". The boyband Five also performed a string of their popular songs during the grand final. The Hosts' Last Show A photo from the emotional final presentation by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. In October, Daly and Winkleman made the shock revelation that they would be stepping down at the end of this year's series. Daly has hosted since the first 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 recorded notes from celebrity chef 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 relationships: the bonds forged, the challenges conquered and the joy experienced in undertaking a shared challenge. "Should that be the case, then perhaps yours has been the greatest Strictly partnership of all. "The warmth, care and sheer joy you have projected with and from each other has been at the centre of the show's appeal." Daly and Winkleman's final show will be the Christmas special, which airs on 25 December.
This piece covers the result of the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing championship. Watch: Scene Strictly Come Dancing 2025 winners are crowned Ex- England footballer Karen Carney has been named this year's Strictly champion, emerging as the first footballer to claim the glitterball 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 paired with professional dancer Carlos Gu, remarked: "It's unbelievable, it's been the greatest honour," before saying she was "speechless". It was an heartfelt night in the ballroom, as presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly fronted the final for the last time - with the Queen among those paying tribute to the veteran hosts. Presenters 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, compassion and sheer joy" had been at the core of the show's success, adding: "On behalf of all viewers when I say you have been utterly brilliant". Karen Carney and Carlos Gu with the glitterball trophy - their soccer-inspired jive to 'One Way Or Another' by Blondie earned them a rapturous applause. Following tradition, one of the dances in the final show was chosen by the judges, one was their own favourite dance from the series, and the other was a freestyle routine. The judges gave guidance scores but the public made the final decision. Carney and Gu executed 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, earning them a rapturous reception - and their second perfect score of the night. Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin were the first couple to take to the stage in the final. But the victorious pair faced fierce rivalry from the other competing couples. Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the initial to grace the dance floor. The pair performed routines 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 upbeat dance to 'Proud Mary'. In another performance, George Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr reprised their dramatic dance 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 salsas and foxtrots, it was Carney and Gu's night as they topped the viewer poll. "My sincere thanks go to everybody that has supported our experience, and supported us," said Carney. Gu told her she had "been transformative," adding: "To the girls and boys watching at home, dream big and be confident and never give up." Influencer George Clarke and Alexis Warr chose to repeat their favourite dance from the series, a Paso Doble to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. 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 appear. He had alleged earlier that the vote that saw him leave the show was unfair. A representative rejected the allegation, saying the show's public vote was "externally monitored and checked to ensure total fairness". The boyband Five also performed a string of their popular songs during the grand final. The Hosts' Last Show A photo from the emotional final presentation by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. In October, Daly and Winkleman made the shock revelation that they would be stepping down at the end of this year's series. Daly has hosted since the first 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 recorded notes from celebrity chef 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 relationships: the bonds forged, the challenges conquered and the joy experienced in undertaking a shared challenge. "Should that be the case, then perhaps yours has been the greatest Strictly partnership of all. "The warmth, care and sheer joy you have projected with and from each other has been at the centre of the show's appeal." Daly and Winkleman's final show will be the Christmas special, which airs on 25 December.