Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman open their last ever Strictly live show as this year’s finale kicks off

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Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have opened their last ever Strictly Come Dancing live show.

The pair, who had previously announced their departure from the popular BBC show in October, warmly greeted viewers as the finale began, visibly moved by the occasion.

Although it’s sure to be a poignant night for the departing couple, Amber Davies, George Clarke, and Karen Carney are still in the competition, all hoping to win the famous Glitterball Trophy.

Claudia wore her signature black jacket with a white blouse, and showed off a special detail: the phrase ‘keep dancing’ was stitched into the back. This was a reference to the well-known motto she and Tess share.

Tess wore a beautiful rose-gold sequined dress with a high slit and no sleeves.

Starting the show, the two hosts spoke warmly, thanking the cast and choreographer Jason Gilkison for the amazing opening number. They also thanked everyone for being there to celebrate the final night of the show.

Last September, fifteen celebrities began competing on the dance floor. After a particularly thrilling competition, only three dancers are left.

Amber, George, and Karen are the final three contestants, and tonight you’ll be voting to decide who wins the championship!

I was so excited to see Amber and Nikita kick off the show! They performed a really powerful Paso Doble, and it was especially cool to learn that Shirley Ballas, the head judge, actually chose that dance for them. It felt really special knowing there was that extra layer of thought behind it.

After their dance to Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” the couple received a score of 39 out of 40. Judge Craig Revel Horwood’s score of nine was the only thing that kept them from getting a perfect score.

Up next was George and Alexis and their Viennese Waltz, dancing to Queen’s Somebody to Love.

Their judges’ choice was picked by Anton D Beke. 

Similar to how he scored Amber, Craig hesitated to give a perfect 10, even though Mosti, Shirley, and Anton had all awarded 10s. With Craig giving a 9, George received a total score of 39 out of 40 from the judges.

Tess has hosted the show for an incredible 21 years and 216 days, and recently received a Guinness World Record for being the longest-running host of the same dance competition.

She has been with the show since it began in 2004, originally hosting with the late Bruce Forsyth.

Sir Bruce, who passed away in 2017, worked with her until he retired in 2013. After that, Claudia took over his role.

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2025-12-20 22:18