Karen Carney has been crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing 2025, with the series finale marking hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s last day in the job. She won the series with her dance partner Carlos Gu.
After their final dance, Gu brought the ballroom to tears by saying he was “never a team player” before meeting Carney and crying as he said: “No wonder I didn’t get partnered last year, because I’m not grateful.”
The grand final was the last live episode ever to be hosted by long-running hosts Daly and Winkleman, and it was an emotional night in the ballroom as they said their goodbyes. They were both tearful as they signed off for the last time, and received a message from Queen Camilla, a Strictly superfan, who called them “the greatest partnership of all”.
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman handed over the glitterball trophy for the final time. (BBC screengrab)
The 2025 series had seen plenty of dancefloor upsets, with viewers appearing to have turned against contestants with significant previous dance experience. Frontrunner Lewis Cope, a former Got To Dance runner-up, had been voted out in the quarter-finals after a shock dance off against West End star Amber Davies.
Viewers backed footballer Carney and social media star George Clarke who racked up high scores and impressive routines throughout the series despite not having come performing backgrounds, preferring them to fellow finalist Davies who came under fire for her experience.
Here’s how the Strictly 2025 final played out.
Who won Strictly Come Dancing 2025?
Karen Carney and Carlos Gu’s show dance. (BBC/Guy Levy)
Karen Carney and Carlos Gu were crowned the series champions and lifted the 2025 glitterball trophy.
Carney said: “We are a team and I could not have done this without you. It’s been the biggest privilege and honour. I’m lost for words, I’m so sorry.”
Following their final dance, Gu had cried in the Clauditorium as he said: “I was self-centred, me, me, me. No wonder I didn’t get partnered last year, because I’m not grateful. She taught me to be a kind, humble person. For the first time I’m a team player. I’m never a team player, which I’m so sad about it.”
It has been a series of shock exits and unexpected results in the ballroom – the 2025 cast featured some of the strongest dancers the show has ever seen, but viewers appeared to have become fed up with seeing experienced performers rise to the top as they backed novices instead.
The quarter-final saw a surprising bottom two as Lewis Cope and Amber Davies both found themselves in the dance off, with the stunned judges having to send Cope home. Davies stayed in to the final, but was in the semi-final dance off again and faced trolling and criticism over having so much experience in the West End.
The Strictly 2025 finalists. (BBC/Guy Levy)
Davies was not supposed to be in the series at all – she was brought in as a last-minute replacement for injured Dani Dyer and had just six hours to prepare for her first routine.
Meanwhile, Strictly fans got behind non-performers who had been on a journey, showing their support for Carney and Clarke throughout the series. In the final, where the judges’ scores are just for guidance and the viewers have the entire deciding vote, their preference for non-dancers was more apparent than ever.
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s tearful Strictly farewell
It’s the day Strictly fans thought they would never see – Daly and Winkleman’s last time holding the fort in the ballroom. We will of course see them again in the Christmas special on Christmas Day, but the episode was pre-recorded.
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman got a message from Queen Camilla. (BBC screengrab)
Daly has hosted every series since it began in 2004, while Winkleman was with the spin-off show It Takes Two from its first run in the second series of Strictly, served as a relief host for Bruce Forsyth from 2010, and took over as Daly’s regular co-host in 2014.
Judge Craig Revel Horwood told Daly and Winkleman he had a special message to read from a Strictly superfan which included the words: “Perhaps yours has been the greatest Strictly partnership at all. The warmth, compassion and sheer happiness you have radiated with and from each other has been at the heart of the show’s success. I think I speak for everyone when I say you have both been fab-u-lous.” He then signed off the message “keep dancing” before revealing to the shocked pair that the message was from Queen Camilla.
The hosts made an emotional farewell. (BBC screengrab)
As they signed off from the show, both hosts fought back tears as Daly said: “It has been such an honour and an absolute pleasure sharing this with you.”
Cheering on Daly from the front row were her husband Vernon Kay and their daughters, while Winkleman gave a nod to her other TV role on The Traitors in a tuxedo jacket with the slogan “Keep Dancing” adorning the back – a similar style to her wardrobe at the castle.
Claudia Winkleman gave a nod to her Traitors wardrobe. (BBC)
They laughed off a rumour from earlier in the series that they would be performing a routine together – Winkleman walked out onto the dancefloor in a fruit-adorned hat, but Daly told her it had been a joke that they would dance together.
Up in the Clauditorium, the pro cast and judges paid tribute to Winkleman’s last episode as she opened the vote, all donning replica wigs of her trademark hairstyle as a surprise.
The Strictly cast surprised Claudia Winkleman with matching wigs. (BBC screengrab)
Following the final dance of the series, Carney’s Jive, Anton Du Beke said: “I can’t tell you how much I’ve loved, Tess, spending the last 21 years with you. I love you.”
Craig Revel Horwood added: “We all deeply and dearly love you and are going to miss you like you would not believe.”
Fans of the show and Strictly staff also paid tribute to the hosts in the series round-up as the results were counted.
The pair’s replacements are yet to be announced, with BBC bosses and those connected to the show having hinted previously that the plan was to wait until the 2025 series was over before searching for new hosts. Alan Carr, Zoe Ball, Fleur East, Angela Scanlon and Bradley Walsh are just some of the big names thought to be in the mix for TV’s biggest job.
What else happened in the Strictly final?
Amber Davies, George Clarke and Karen Carney made a grand entrance to the final. (BBC/Guy Levy)
Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin opened the show with their Paso Doble, and the judges were quick to back Davies who has had a tough few weeks with criticism from viewers about her experience in the West End giving her a potential advantage. They praised her commitment and work ethic before scoring the dance a 39.
Karen Carney and Carlos Gu’s first dance, their Argentine Tango, was the first of the night to score a perfect 40 with Shirley Ballas telling the footballer she was “a deadly competitor” and that the dance was “one of my favourite numbers I’ve ever seen”.
Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin’s show dance. (BBC/Guy Levy)
The judges loved Davies’ showdance to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s Rain On Me, with Anton Du Beke telling her it was “the perfect show dance from the perfect show girl” and Craig Revel Horwood telling her she made “perfect pictures”.
Du Beke called George Clarke and Alexis Warr’s show dance to The Killers’ Human “celebratory” and “joyous”, congratulating pro dancer Warr on doing so well in her first series of Strictly. Motsi Mabuse praised them for showcasing their connection and the uplifting feeling they brought to the dance. Clarke said: “I’d never been on TV before. I feel like in the first six weeks I didn’t really give anyone a reason to vote for me, so thank you for keeping me in.”
George Clarke and Alexis Warr in the final. (BBC/Guy Levy)
Carney’s show dance to Texas song Inner Smile was a fast-paced crowd pleaser and Mabuse told her: “What do I want from this evening? I want to feel like someone left their heart on the dancefloor. You did that.”
Revel Horwood made reference to Davies’ professional dancing career after her final routine, telling her after her Jive: “I’m just sad that’s the last time I get to see you dance for free, I’ll be paying to see you from now on.” Ballas echoed his comments, saying: “Bright lights of Broadway, bright lights of West End, we’ll be there.”
Five were back together and in the ballroom. (BBC/Guy Levy)
Davies said after her final performance: “It would be nice to lift the glitterball trophy. You know what would be nicer? Seeing one of my friends lift that glitterball trophy. I love George, I love Karen. I feel like I’ve already won by just being here. I wasn’t supposed to be here.”
Clarke also looked back on his Strictly journey after his last performance, his Paso Doble, saying: “At the very start maybe you feel like, ‘oh it would be cool to lift a glitterball’. That doesn’t drive you through each week…Right now my mind isn’t on a glitterball…I want to keep going.”
Carney finished the series on the dance she started with in week one, the Jive. In an emotional moment, she told Daly as they came in for the judges’ comments for the last dance of the series: “We realised this is your (Daly) last dance, so it’s our honour. You’re the first person we all come over to after dancing. On behalf of all the fans, thank you.”
Carlos Gu brought everyone to tears. (BBC screengrab)
In the Clauditorium, her partner Gu brought everyone to tears as he cried and said that after performing competitively, “I was self-centred, me, me, me. No wonder I didn’t get partnered last year, because I’m not grateful. She taught me to be a kind, humble person. For the first time I’m a team player. I’m never a team player, which I’m so sad about it.”
Winkleman was also in tears as she told him: “No, no, no! You’re always a team player.”
Strictly’s 2025 cast reunited for a final group number, although they were not joined by Thomas Skinner who had a prior commitment – despite rumours that he had fallen out with the BBC. The routine did include a heavily pregnant Dianne Buswell, who is expecting her first child with 2018 dance partner Joe Sugg.
The finale also featured a boy band throwback as Five reunited to perform while the votes were being counted.