Kelvin Fletcher has been crowned the new champion of Strictly Come Dancing following his performance in this year’s live final.
He and professional partner Oti Mabuse were picked as the 17th couple to lift the Glitterball trophy, after impressing viewers in Saturday night’s live show.
Their win came during Oti’s first appearance in the Strictly final, after six series dancing on the show.
Kelvin came ahead of runners up Karim Zeroual and Emma Barton, who each performed three routines over the course of the evening.
Speaking to presenter Tess Daly, the tearful former Emmerdale star described his Strictly experience as “the best of his life”, thanking his fans “from the bottom of his heart” for getting him the win with their votes.
Oti said of her partner: “I’ve never ever met any celeb who gives his heart and his soul [like Kelvin], if something’s not right he stays and rehearses, not because he wants to win, but because he genuinely, genuinely loves dancing, and that to me was the best gift.”
Kelvin’s win was particularly significant as he wasn’t actually supposed to have been a contestant on this year’s series, but was brought in as a last-minute replacement when reality star Jamie Laing was forced to step down due to injury.
As ever, the judges’ scores were not taken into account in the final, with only the public choosing the winner on the night, which is potentially just as well, as it was actually Karim who had the most points at the end of the performances.
Each of the finalists performed three dances during the night, including one performance chosen by the judges and another by the couples by themselves, as well as their Showdance routines, intended to show off the skills they’ve learned during their time on the show.
There was also a performance by pop superstar Taylor Swift, and one last group number featuring all of this year’s contestants and professionals.
