Strictly Come Dancing spoilers follow.
It's been a tumultuous and lengthy journey, but after three months of glitter and nimble footwork, Karen Carney and Carlos Gu have been confirmed as the champions for the 2025 edition of Strictly Come Dancing.
The long-running BBC series aired its latest showpiece event tonight as hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman bid farewell to the show, with three couples battling it out for the famous Glitterball Trophy.
Appearing alongside Karen and Carlos in the final was YouTuber George Clarke and Love Island star Amber Davies, with the latter two dancing alongside professional partners Alexis Warr and Nikita Kuzmin respectively.
After three routines apiece, each of which were scrutinised by the judging panel of Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke, it was the public who ultimately had the big call as they voted for the winner.
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After a nervous wait, it was revealed that Karen and Carlos had triumphed, with the former professional footballer saying: "I can't believe it. I want to say thank you to everybody who has supported our journey... It's been the biggest privilege and honour."
"Thank you Karen Carney - I love you," added Carlos. "Thank you for being so incredible this whole journey. You have taught me so much. We are two different characters but we challenge and help each other. We never give up. Thank you for changing my whole life."
During the evening itself, it was Amber & Nikita who topped the leaderboard after scoring a combined 118 points out of 120 across their three routines, with both George & Alexis and Karen & Carlos following closely behind on 117.
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In addition to the triumphant moment, it was an emotional evening all around as Tess and Claudia made their final appearance as co-hosts, with Anton leading a tribute on behalf of his fellow judges.
"Emotional last Strictly for Tess & Claudia. Been so good together on this for so long. They deserve this goodbye. #StrictlyComeDancing," wrote one fan on X, with another adding: "I'm emotional I don't want this to end #StrictlyComeDancing".
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
