Strictly Champions Announced in Spectacular Grand Final
This article reveals the result of the Strictly Come Dancing 2025 championship.
Ex- England footballer Karen Carney has been named 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 viewers' vote in Saturday's live final.
Carney, who was paired with professional dancer Carlos Gu, said: "This is incredible, it's been the biggest honour," before saying she was "speechless".
It was an emotional night in the studio, as hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly fronted the final for the last time - with Queen Camilla among those offering praise to the veteran hosts.
In a note read out 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 success, stating: "On behalf of all viewers when I say you have been utterly brilliant".
As usual, one of the dances in the final show was selected by the judges, one was their own favourite 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 dances including a show dance to 'Inner Smile' by Texas, and an Argentine 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 rapturous reception - and their second full marks of the night.
But the winning pair faced strong rivalry from the other remaining couples.
Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the initial to take to the stage.
The couple delivered 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'.
Meanwhile, George Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr performed again 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 ballroom dances, it was Carney and Gu's night as they won the public vote.
"My sincere thanks go to everybody that has supported our journey, and supported us," said Carney.
Gu told her she had "changed my life," adding: "To the girls and boys watching at home, dream big and be proud and never give up."
Other memorable moments on the night included the majority of the cast of 2025 coming back for one more performance.
Yet, online figure Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had claimed earlier that the vote that saw him exit the show was rigged.
A spokesperson rejected the allegation, saying the show's audience vote was "independently overseen and checked to ensure complete fairness".
The group Five also performed a selection of their hits during the finale.
The Hosts' Last Final
In October, Daly and Winkleman made the shock revelation that they would be leaving their roles at the end of this year's series.
Daly has presented since the first series 21 years ago. Winkleman joined in 2014, having fronted Strictly's companion program It Takes Two since 2004.
This was their final time hosting 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 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 bonds forged, the struggles conquered and the happiness shared in undertaking a joint endeavour.
"Should that be the case, then perhaps yours has been the most significant Strictly pairing of all.
"The warmth, care and pure joy you have projected with and from each other has been at the heart of the show's success."
Daly and Winkleman's final appearance will be the Christmas special, which airs on 25 December.
