🔗 Share this article Strictly Come Dancing Winners Crowned in Glitzy Grand Final This report details the outcome of the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing culminating event. View: Moment Strictly 2025 victors are declared Ex- England footballer Karen Carney has been crowned this year's Strictly winner, emerging as the first professional soccer player to lift the glitterball trophy. She beat reality TV star Amber Davies and online influencer George Clarke after securing the audience vote in Saturday's grand finale. Carney, who was dancing with professional dancer Carlos Gu, remarked: "I can't believe it, it's been the greatest privilege," before adding she was "lost for words". It was an heartfelt night in the studio, as hosts 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 say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing In a note read out by panelist Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said Daly and Winkleman's "kindness, empathy and sheer happiness" had been at the heart of the show's success, stating: "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 rapturous applause. Following tradition, one of the dances in the grand finale was chosen by the judges, one was their own preferred dance from the competition, and the other was a show dance. The judges gave advisory scores but the public made the ultimate choice. Carney and Gu executed dances 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 rapturous reception - and their second full marks of the night. Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin were the opening couple to step onto the dance floor in the final. But the victorious duo faced stiff rivalry from the other remaining couples. Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the first to take to the stage. The pair performed routines 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 reprised 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 salsas and foxtrots, it was Carney and Gu's night as they won the public vote. "My sincere thanks go to everybody that has supported our experience, and supported us," said Carney. Gu told her she had "been transformative," commenting: "To the girls and boys watching at home, dream big and be confident and never give up." Influencer George Clarke and Alexis Warr opted to repeat their favourite dance from the series, a Paso Doble to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. Other memorable moments on the night included the majority of the contestants of 2025 coming back for one more routine. Yet, online figure Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had claimed earlier that the elimination process that saw him exit the show was unfair. A representative denied the allegation, saying the show's audience vote was "independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy". The group Five also performed a selection of their popular songs during the grand final. Tess and Claudia's Final Show An image from the historic final presentation by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Earlier this year, Daly and Winkleman made the surprise revelation that they would be stepping down at the end of this year's series. Daly has hosted since the inaugural series 21 years ago. Winkleman joined in 2014, having fronted Strictly's companion program It Takes Two since 2004. This was their last time hosting a Strictly final, and both were full of emotion as they said their goodbyes. During the televised event, 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 read: "I have often thought that Strictly is not so much a show about dancing as about relationships: the bonds forged, the challenges overcome and the happiness experienced in undertaking a shared challenge. "Should that be the case, then perhaps yours has been the greatest Strictly partnership of all. "The kindness, compassion and pure joy you have radiated with and from each other has been at the heart of the show's success." Daly and Winkleman's final show will be the holiday episode, which airs on 25 December.
This report details the outcome of the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing culminating event. View: Moment Strictly 2025 victors are declared Ex- England footballer Karen Carney has been crowned this year's Strictly winner, emerging as the first professional soccer player to lift the glitterball trophy. She beat reality TV star Amber Davies and online influencer George Clarke after securing the audience vote in Saturday's grand finale. Carney, who was dancing with professional dancer Carlos Gu, remarked: "I can't believe it, it's been the greatest privilege," before adding she was "lost for words". It was an heartfelt night in the studio, as hosts 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 say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing In a note read out by panelist Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said Daly and Winkleman's "kindness, empathy and sheer happiness" had been at the heart of the show's success, stating: "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 rapturous applause. Following tradition, one of the dances in the grand finale was chosen by the judges, one was their own preferred dance from the competition, and the other was a show dance. The judges gave advisory scores but the public made the ultimate choice. Carney and Gu executed dances 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 rapturous reception - and their second full marks of the night. Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin were the opening couple to step onto the dance floor in the final. But the victorious duo faced stiff rivalry from the other remaining couples. Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the first to take to the stage. The pair performed routines 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 reprised 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 salsas and foxtrots, it was Carney and Gu's night as they won the public vote. "My sincere thanks go to everybody that has supported our experience, and supported us," said Carney. Gu told her she had "been transformative," commenting: "To the girls and boys watching at home, dream big and be confident and never give up." Influencer George Clarke and Alexis Warr opted to repeat their favourite dance from the series, a Paso Doble to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle. Other memorable moments on the night included the majority of the contestants of 2025 coming back for one more routine. Yet, online figure Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had claimed earlier that the elimination process that saw him exit the show was unfair. A representative denied the allegation, saying the show's audience vote was "independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy". The group Five also performed a selection of their popular songs during the grand final. Tess and Claudia's Final Show An image from the historic final presentation by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Earlier this year, Daly and Winkleman made the surprise revelation that they would be stepping down at the end of this year's series. Daly has hosted since the inaugural series 21 years ago. Winkleman joined in 2014, having fronted Strictly's companion program It Takes Two since 2004. This was their last time hosting a Strictly final, and both were full of emotion as they said their goodbyes. During the televised event, 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 read: "I have often thought that Strictly is not so much a show about dancing as about relationships: the bonds forged, the challenges overcome and the happiness experienced in undertaking a shared challenge. "Should that be the case, then perhaps yours has been the greatest Strictly partnership of all. "The kindness, compassion and pure joy you have radiated with and from each other has been at the heart of the show's success." Daly and Winkleman's final show will be the holiday episode, which airs on 25 December.