Strictly Come Dancing Winners Announced in Spectacular Grand Final

This piece covers the conclusion of the Strictly Come Dancing 2025 culminating event.

Ex- Lioness Karen Carney has been declared this year's Strictly Come Dancing winner, becoming the first professional soccer player to claim the glitterball trophy.

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

Carney, who was dancing with pro partner Carlos Gu, stated: "This is incredible, it's been the greatest honour," before adding she was "overwhelmed".

It was an poignant night in the studio, as hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly hosted the final for the last time - with the Queen among those offering praise to the veteran hosts.

In a message presented by judge Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said Daly and Winkleman's "kindness, compassion and pure joy" had been at the heart of the show's popularity, adding: "I think I speak for everyone when I say you have been utterly brilliant".

As usual, one of the dances in the grand finale was selected by the judges, one was their own preferred dance from the series, and the other was a freestyle routine.

The judges gave advisory scores but the viewing audience made the ultimate choice.

Carney and Gu performed 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, earning them a standing ovation - and their second perfect score of the night.

But the victorious duo faced fierce rivalry from the other competing couples.

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

The couple 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 jive to 'Proud Mary'.

Meanwhile, George Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr performed again their Paso Doble to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle.

They also did their freestyle routine 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 public vote.

"I just want to say thank you 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, 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, 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 spokesperson denied the allegation, saying the show's audience vote was "externally monitored and verified to ensure complete accuracy".

The group Five also performed a selection of their popular songs during the grand final.

The Hosts' Last Final

In October, Daly and Winkleman made the shock revelation 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 joined in 2014, having fronted Strictly's companion program 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 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 friendships: the connections forged, the struggles overcome and the joy shared in undertaking a joint endeavour.

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

"The kindness, care and pure happiness you have projected with and from each other has been at the heart of the show's success."

Daly and Winkleman's last ever appearance will be the holiday episode, which is broadcast on 25 December.