Strictly Champions Crowned in Spectacular Grand Final
This piece covers the conclusion of the Strictly Come Dancing 2025 final.
Former Lioness Karen Carney has been crowned this year's Strictly Come Dancing champion, emerging as the first footballer to win the glitterball trophy.
She defeated reality TV star Amber Davies and social media star George Clarke after securing the viewers' vote in Saturday's grand finale.
Carney, who was paired with pro partner Carlos Gu, remarked: "It's unbelievable, it's been the biggest honour," before adding she was "speechless".
It was an heartfelt night in the studio, as hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly hosted the final for the last time - with Queen Camilla among those offering praise to the long-running hosts.
In a message presented by judge Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said Daly and Winkleman's "kindness, empathy and pure happiness" had been at the heart of the show's popularity, adding: "On behalf of all viewers when I say you have been utterly fab-u-lous".
Following tradition, one of the dances in the final show was chosen by the judges, one was their own preferred dance from the series, and the other was a show dance.
The judges gave advisory scores but the public made the ultimate choice.
Carney and Gu executed routines 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, garnering them a rapturous reception - and their second full marks of the night.
But the winning duo faced strong 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 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'.
In another performance, 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 public vote.
"My sincere thanks go 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, dream big and be confident and never give up."
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 claimed earlier that the elimination process that saw him leave the show was unfair.
A representative denied the claim, saying the show's audience vote was "externally monitored and verified to ensure total accuracy".
The boyband Five also performed a string of their hits during the finale.
Tess and Claudia's Last Show
In October, Daly and Winkleman made the shock announcement that they would be stepping down at the end of this year's season.
Daly has hosted since the inaugural series 21 years ago. Winkleman came on board 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 signed off.
During the televised event, as well as the message 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 read: "It has often seemed to me that Strictly is not so much a show about dancing as about relationships: the bonds forged, the struggles overcome and the happiness experienced in undertaking a joint challenge.
"Should that be the case, then perhaps yours has been the greatest Strictly pairing of all.
"The warmth, care and pure happiness you have projected with and from each other has been at the centre of the show's success."
Daly and Winkleman's final appearance will be the Christmas special, which airs on 25 December.
