Strictly Winners Crowned in Spectacular Grand Finale

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

Ex- England footballer Karen Carney has been declared this year's Strictly Come Dancing champion, becoming the first footballer to claim the coveted trophy.

She beat reality TV star Amber Davies and online influencer George Clarke after securing the audience vote in Saturday's grand finale.

Carney, who was dancing with professional dancer Carlos Gu, stated: "This is incredible, it's been the biggest honour," before saying she was "lost for words".

It was an poignant night in the studio, as hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly fronted the final for the final occasion - with the Queen among those offering praise to the long-running hosts.

In a message read out by judge Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said Daly and Winkleman's "warmth, compassion and pure happiness" had been at the core 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 favourite dance from the competition, and the other was a show dance.

The judges gave guidance scores but the public made the ultimate choice.

Carney and Gu executed routines 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, garnering them a rapturous reception - and their second full marks of the night.

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

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

The couple performed dances 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 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 ballroom dances, it was Carney and Gu's night as they won the viewer poll.

"My sincere thanks go to everybody that has supported our journey, and supported us," said Carney.

Gu told her she had "been transformative," adding: "To the young people watching at home, dream big and be proud and never give up."

Other highlights on the night included most of the cast of 2025 coming back for one more routine.

However, online figure Thomas Skinner did not appear. He had claimed earlier that the elimination process that saw him leave the show was rigged.

A spokesperson denied the allegation, saying the show's public vote was "independently overseen and checked to ensure complete fairness".

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

Tess and Claudia's Final Show

In October, Daly and Winkleman made the surprise revelation 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 came on board in 2014, having hosted 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 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 fans of the show.

The Queen's message read: "I have often thought that Strictly is not so much a show about dancing as about relationships: the connections forged, the struggles overcome and the joy experienced in undertaking a joint challenge.

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

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

Daly and Winkleman's final appearance will be the Christmas special, which is broadcast on 25 December.