Strictly Come Dancing Winners Crowned in Spectacular Grand Finale

This report details the result of the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing culminating event.

Ex- England footballer Karen Carney has been crowned this year's Strictly Come Dancing champion, becoming the first footballer to lift the glitterball trophy.

She beat reality TV star Amber Davies and online influencer George Clarke after winning the viewers' vote in Saturday's live final.

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

It was an emotional night in the ballroom, as hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly hosted the final for the final occasion - with the Queen among those paying tribute to the long-running hosts.

In a note read out by panelist 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, adding: "On behalf of all viewers when I say you have been utterly wonderful".

Following tradition, one of the dances in the final show was chosen by the judges, one was their own favourite 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 performed dances 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 football-themed jive to 'One Way Or Another' by Blondie, earning them a rapturous reception - and their second full marks of the night.

But the winning pair faced fierce competition from the other remaining couples.

Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the initial to grace the dance floor.

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 jive to 'Proud Mary'.

In another performance, George Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr performed again their dramatic dance 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 tangos, it was Carney and Gu's night as they won 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."

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

Yet, social media personality Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had claimed earlier that the elimination process that saw him exit the show was rigged.

A representative rejected the allegation, saying the show's audience vote was "externally monitored and verified to ensure complete fairness".

The boyband Five also performed a string of their popular songs during the grand final.

The Hosts' Final Final

In October, Daly and Winkleman made the shock announcement that they would be leaving their roles 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 live broadcast, as well as the message from the Queen, there were recorded notes from TV cook Mary Berry, members of the production team and devotees 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 bonds forged, the struggles conquered and the joy experienced in undertaking a shared endeavour.

"Should that be the case, then perhaps yours has been the most significant Strictly partnership of all.

"The warmth, compassion 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.