Strictly Come Dancing Winners Announced in Glitzy Grand Finale
This article reveals the result of the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing culminating event.
Ex- England footballer Karen Carney has been declared this year's Strictly Come Dancing winner, becoming the first footballer to claim the coveted trophy.
She beat Love Islander Amber Davies and social media star George Clarke after winning the audience vote in Saturday's live final.
Carney, who was dancing with pro partner Carlos Gu, said: "It's unbelievable, it's been the greatest privilege," before saying she was "speechless".
It was an emotional night in the studio, as presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly hosted the final for the final occasion - with the Queen among those paying tribute to the veteran hosts.
In a message read out by judge Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said Daly and Winkleman's "kindness, compassion and sheer happiness" had been at the heart of the show's success, stating: "I think I speak for everyone when I say you have been utterly brilliant".
As usual, 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 guidance scores but the public made the ultimate choice.
Carney and Gu executed dances including a freestyle to 'Inner Smile' by Texas, and an 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 standing ovation - and their second perfect score of the night.
But the winning pair faced strong competition from the other remaining couples.
Amber Davies and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the initial to take to the stage.
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'.
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 salsas and foxtrots, it was Carney and Gu's night as they won the public vote.
"My sincere thanks go to everybody that has backed our journey, and supported us," said Carney.
Gu told her she had "been transformative," commenting: "To the girls and boys watching at home, dream big and be confident and never give up."
Other memorable moments on the night included most of the cast of 2025 returning for one more performance.
Yet, social media personality Thomas Skinner did not attend. He had alleged earlier that the elimination process that saw him exit the show was rigged.
A spokesperson rejected the claim, saying the show's audience vote was "independently overseen and checked to ensure complete accuracy".
The group Five also performed a string of their hits during the finale.
Tess and Claudia's Final Final
In October, Daly and Winkleman made the surprise revelation that they would be stepping down at the end of this year's series.
Daly has hosted since the inaugural series 21 years ago. Winkleman joined in 2014, having hosted Strictly's sister show It Takes Two since 2004.
This was their last time hosting a Strictly final, and both were full of emotion as they signed off.
During the televised event, as well as the tribute 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: "It has often seemed to me that Strictly is not so much a show about dancing as about friendships: the connections forged, the struggles conquered and the joy experienced in undertaking a shared challenge.
"If that is true, then perhaps yours has been the most significant Strictly pairing of all.
"The warmth, care and pure happiness you have projected with and from each other has been at the centre of the show's appeal."
Daly and Winkleman's final show will be the Christmas special, which airs on 25 December.
