Strictly Winners Announced in Glitzy Live Final

This piece covers the result of the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing championship.

Former Lioness Karen Carney has been declared this year's Strictly champion, emerging as the first footballer to win the glitterball trophy.

She overcame Love Islander Amber Davies and online influencer George Clarke after winning the audience vote in Saturday's live final.

Carney, who was paired with pro partner Carlos Gu, said: "This is incredible, it's been the greatest privilege," before adding she was "speechless".

It was an poignant night in the ballroom, as hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly hosted the final for the last time - with the Queen 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 sheer 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".

Following tradition, one of the dances in the grand finale was selected by the judges, one was their own preferred dance from the competition, and the other was a freestyle routine.

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 sports-inspired jive to 'One Way Or Another' by Blondie, garnering them a standing ovation - and their second perfect score of the night.

But the winning duo faced strong competition from the other remaining couples.

Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the first to grace the stage.

The pair performed dances including a freestyle 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'.

Meanwhile, 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 classical 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 journey, and supported us," said Carney.

Gu told her she had "changed my life," commenting: "To the girls and boys watching at home, aim high and be confident and never give up."

Other highlights on the night included the majority of the contestants of 2025 coming back for one more performance.

Yet, online figure Thomas Skinner did not appear. He had claimed earlier that the elimination process that saw him exit the show was unfair.

A representative rejected the claim, saying the show's audience vote was "independently overseen and checked to ensure total accuracy".

The boyband Five also performed a selection of their popular songs during the finale.

Tess and Claudia's Last Final

In October, Daly and Winkleman made the surprise announcement that they would be stepping down at the end of this year's season.

Daly has presented since the inaugural series 21 years ago. Winkleman joined in 2014, having fronted Strictly's sister show 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 live broadcast, 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 said: "I have often thought that Strictly is not so much a show about dancing as about relationships: the connections forged, the challenges overcome and the happiness experienced in undertaking a joint challenge.

"If that is true, then perhaps yours has been the greatest Strictly pairing of all.

"The kindness, care and pure joy you have radiated with and from each other has been at the centre of the show's appeal."

Daly and Winkleman's last ever show will be the Christmas special, which airs on 25 December.