Strictly Come Dancing Winners Announced in Glitzy Grand Finale

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

Ex- England footballer Karen Carney has been crowned this year's Strictly Come Dancing winner, emerging as the first professional soccer player to claim the glitterball trophy.

She defeated Love Islander Amber Davies and social media star George Clarke after securing the public vote in Saturday's live final.

Carney, who was dancing with professional dancer Carlos Gu, said: "It's unbelievable, it's been the biggest honour," before adding she was "lost for words".

It was an poignant night in the studio, as hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly hosted the final for the final occasion - with the Queen 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 "warmth, compassion and sheer joy" had been at the core of the show's success, stating: "I think I speak for everyone when I say you have been utterly fab-u-lous".

As usual, one of the dances in the final show was selected by the judges, one was their own favourite dance from the competition, and the other was a show dance.

The judges gave advisory scores but the viewing audience made the final decision.

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 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 first to take to the stage.

The pair 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 reprised their dramatic dance to 'Game of Survival' by Ruelle.

They also did their show dance 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 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," commenting: "To the young people watching at home, aim high and be proud and never give up."

Other memorable moments on the night included most of the contestants of 2025 returning for one more routine.

However, online figure Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had alleged earlier that the elimination process that saw him leave the show was unfair.

A representative denied 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 hits during the grand final.

The Hosts' Last Show

Earlier this year, 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 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 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 recorded notes from TV cook Mary Berry, members of the crew and fans of the show.

The Queen's message read: "It has often seemed to me that Strictly is not so much a show about dancing as about relationships: the bonds forged, the challenges conquered and the happiness shared in undertaking a shared challenge.

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

"The kindness, 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 show will be the holiday episode, which airs on 25 December.