Strictly Come Dancing Winners Announced in Spectacular Grand Final

This article reveals the conclusion of the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing championship.

Former England footballer Karen Carney has been crowned this year's Strictly champion, emerging as the first footballer to win the coveted trophy.

She beat Love Islander Amber Davies and social media star George Clarke after winning the public vote in Saturday's grand finale.

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

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

In a message read out by judge Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said Daly and Winkleman's "warmth, compassion and sheer joy" had been at the heart of the show's success, stating: "On behalf of all viewers when I say you have been utterly fab-u-lous".

Following tradition, one of the dances in the grand finale 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 final decision.

Carney and Gu performed routines including a show dance 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 full marks of the night.

But the victorious duo faced fierce competition from the other remaining couples.

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

The pair performed routines including a freestyle to 'Rain On Me' by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, a Spanish-inspired dance to 'Dream On' by Aerosmith, and a upbeat dance 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 Viennese Waltz to 'Somebody to Love' by Queen.

But after weeks of salsas and foxtrots, it was Carney and Gu's night as they topped the viewer poll.

"I just want to say thank you 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 confident and never give up."

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

However, online figure Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had claimed earlier that the vote that saw him exit the show was unfair.

A spokesperson rejected the claim, saying the show's public vote was "externally monitored and checked to ensure complete accuracy".

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

Tess and Claudia's Last Final

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 inaugural 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 televised event, as well as the tribute from the Queen, there were recorded notes from TV cook Mary Berry, members of the crew and devotees 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 relationships: the connections forged, the struggles conquered and the joy experienced in undertaking a joint challenge.

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

"The kindness, care and sheer happiness you have radiated with and from each other has been at the heart of the show's appeal."

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