Strictly ultimate stay: Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell win Glitterball Trophy in tear-jerking finale
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Strictly Come Dancing 2024 has been won by Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell,
The pair were vying against Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola, Tasha Ghouri dancing with Aljaž Škorjanec and JB Gill and his pro partner Lauren Oakley in Saturday night’s grand final.
McCausland was a firm favourite to win, and is now the first blind contestant to become a Strictly champion.
The comedian’s first two dances of the night had an emotional impact, as judges Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas were left in tears.
And his third caused even more sobbing. McCausland and Buswell were both in tears at the end of their routine — a performance of their Waltz to “You Never Walk Alone.” Buswell’s parents in the audience were also crying, along with the panel and seemingly everyone in the Clauditorium.
Prior to the live final, McCausland is reported to have faced a last-minute change of plan as his parents couldn’t travel to Hertfordshire to support him due to illness.
His mother Valerie had caught the flu, and was unable to travel from their home in Liverpool to the Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, where the live final took place. McCausland’s father, John, told The Daily Mail he would be remaining at home to look after her.
Ahead of the final, McCausland’s dance partner Buswell broke down in tears when she was shown a clip of McCausland’s dancing journey on It Takes Two, and she praised him for being “the most honest man I’ve ever met”.
In tonight’s final, the couples danced three numbers each: a judge’s pick, a show dance and the couple’s favourite dance from the series.
This picture perfect encapsulates all of the emotions from tonight
Tonight’s final was nothing but tear-jerking. This moment captured in the Clauditorium after Chris’s performance sums it all up. Not a dry eye in the house.
A look back at tonight’s final….
During tonight’s final, Vito Coppola suffered awkward an wardrobe malfunction while performing alongside Sarah Hadland.
When the dance finished, Coppola and Hadland broke into laughter as host Tess Daly acknowledged that the professional dancer had experienced a “wardrobe issue”.
Read more here:
Sight-loss charity praises Chris showing ‘there are no barriers for creativity and determination’
Chris McCausland has been receiving huge praise for becoming the show’s first blind contestant and winner.
Kerry Bevan, who is Head of Skills at the UK’s leading sight-loss charity, Guide Dogs UK, said in a statement: “Chris McCausland’s victory on Strictly Come Dancing is not only a personal triumph, but also a landmark moment for everyone in the visually impaired community.”
Bevan continued: “There are no barriers to creativity and determination, nor to success on the dancefloor, and Chris’s crowning moment of his journey to the summit proves this.
“Chris has given the public an insight into what it means to have a vision impairment and how people with sight loss can dream big and pursue their ambitions fearlessly.
“Chris and Dianne are worthy winners and it’s even more poignant that this milestone occurred during Strictly’s 20th anniversary series. Dianne has been a shining example of how we can all take steps to make the world a more inclusive and accessible place.”
Comment: Chris McCausland is a heroic Strictly winner in a series struck by one controversy after another
Rachel McGrath looks back at this year’s series of ‘Strictly’
Chris basking in the glory…
As he should!
The official winner’s pics are in…
The most joyous pictures of Chris and Dianne have been released. So well deserved.
The consensus tonight: one of the best final’s in Strictly history
Judging by the reactions from viewers tonight, the consensus is that this year’s final has been one of the best in a very long time. The standard was brilliant. The emotions were high. Chris McCausland managed to break Craig Revel Horwood. What more could you want?
One person wrote on X/Twitter: “My 95 year old mum called immediately after the result. She was absolutely thrilled to see Chris and Dianne win. She said it was one of the best finals for a long time.”
Another said: “Best final ever!”
The moment Chris and Dianne lift the glitterball trophy
What a moment it was when Chris and Dianne got their hands on the famous trophy.
Chris is lost for words
Despite the fact he was firm favourite to win in the run-up to the final, Chris was lost for words after he and Dianne were announced as winners.
He told Tess and Claudia: “It’s astonishing. I don’t know what to say. I honestly thought I could go out in the first week or two. I know no-one went out on the first week but I thought I still could.”
Turning his attention to Dianne, he added: “She has got so much out of me. She deserves this so much. She is one of the easiest people to be funny with.
“This is for her, and for everyone out there who got told they couldn’t do something. With opportunity, support and determination, anything can happen.”
Dianne said: “This is not for me. This is me and you, Chris. We did this together. This is for both of us, we worked together. And we did it!”
