Amber Davies, Karen Carney and George Clarke competed in the series finale of Strictly Come Dancing. Co-hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman bid farewell as the glitterball trophy was awarded on an emotional night in the ballroom.
Amber Davies, a late replacement for the injured Dani Dyer, had only six hours of training for her first dance. Despite criticism over her prior dance experience, she bonded with pro partner Nikita Kuzmin and delivered a commendable waltz, finishing second on the leaderboard. She became the first celebrity to score perfect 40s for three consecutive weeks and achieved a fourth in the final. However, her stage school background and West End experience led to viewer reluctance, resulting in three dance-off appearances. She acknowledged in the final that her fellow finalists deserved the win.
George Clarke was the bookies' favourite for much of the contest, thanks to a large online following and his charming personality. He never faced the dance-off and progressed smoothly to the final. Despite scoring five 10s, he never achieved a perfect 40 and finished second on the leaderboard three times. His dancing lacked the x-factor for victory, but he gained mainstream fame and a Radio 1 Christmas Day show.
Karen Carney, a former Lioness, became the best novice dancer, improving throughout the series. She topped the leaderboard three times but also finished as low as 10th once. Her popularity with viewers secured her victory, making her the oldest woman, at 38, to win the trophy. She is the first footballer to reach the final in Strictly history.
