Karen Carney says Strictly victory ‘means everything’ to her and Carlos Gu

By Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter

Former Lioness Karen Carney has said the Strictly Come Dancing victory “means everything” to her and professional dancer Carlos Gu.

The pair triumphantly lifted the glitterball on Saturday after being crowned the winners of the 23rd series of the BBC One dance programme.

The night was full of emotion and teary eyed presenters and cast members as it also marked the final live show fronted by presenting duo Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.

Following the victory, Carney and Gu shared a joint video thanking viewers for their support.

Carney said: “We can’t believe it but we just want to say thank you so, so much for all your support, all your votes, all your kind words.

“It means everything to me and Carlos.”

Former Strictly winners also congratulated the pair on social media including Ellie Leach, Stacey Dooley, professionals Jowita Przystal and Dianne Buswell and former Strictly professional Oti Mabuse.

Strictly professional Amy Dowden congratulated the pair in a post on Instagram. She wrote: “To my darling brother I’m so proud of you Carlos. I know how much you’ve loved this series, you’ve learnt, grown and shown your true authentic self!

“Kaz you shone, thank you for being you, beautiful dancing but a wonderful soul! So happy for you both!”

The dancer also thanked the show for another “incredible series” and for supporting her “through and through” following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2023 and subsequent chemotherapy and mastectomy.

The final also featured a tribute video montage for the departing hosts after presenting the series together for a decade.

The montage included a message from TV cook Mary Berry and was followed by a personal letter, read out loud by judge Craig Revel Horwood, from Queen Camilla who praised the pair for their “warmth, compassion and sheer happiness”.

After the show, Daly posted on Instagram praising the show as being “made with love” where “joy is the currency and the only agenda”.

She said: “That love is down to every single member of the brilliant team that makes it, because to none of them is it just a job.

“It is a gift, and it is truly treasured.

“I will be forever grateful for the unforgettable years I have spent sharing this magical show with you. I’ll miss the Strictly viewers, because they are the very best, the most loyal and supportive, and as passionate about the show as I have always been.

“It has been the most wonderful privilege to have shared it with you all for so many years.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the memories of a lifetime.”

The post was flooded with comments from friends, fans and former Strictly cast members including former Love Island star Tasha Ghouri, presenter Amanda Holden, professional Vito Coppola and presenter Rylan who said: “Love you both so much. Irreplaceable.”

Australian singer and TV presenter Dannii Minogue commented: “This is incredible to see and feel all the emotion.

“Congratulations on delivering so much sparkly heart warming tv.”

Meanwhile Daly’s husband, BBC Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay shared a video of the pair on his story with the caption: “End of an Era.”

Daly and Winkleman will return on screens for their last appearance as a presenting duo in a pre-recorded Strictly festive special which will air on Christmas Day.

Saturday night’s final also included a group number from the 2025 cast, a performance from Five and a group routine from the professional dancers and finalists.

One member who did not return to the Strictly dancefloor, however, was Apprentice star Thomas Skinner, who was the first celebrity to be eliminated.

Hours before the final, he posted on X and claimed that his elimination on Strictly Come Dancing was rigged and suggested that he was kicked off the show because he had met US vice president JD Vance.

He said: “On the night I left the show, I received an anonymous email claiming to be from a BBC exec with stats, saying I’d received far more votes than it appeared and it wasn’t right. I’ve since had the email independently verified.

“I have asked to see the official voting figures to back up the ones I was sent in the email but was told they couldn’t be shown to me. And have never been shown in the history of the show. I have spoke about the email I had received to senior people and the BBC welfare team, who btw I genuinely respect. And they was the ones who advised me to get legal advice because of how unfair it all was. (This was not my idea).”

Shortly after joining the show, the 34-year-old admitted to cheating on his wife just weeks after their wedding in an interview with The Sun On Sunday, having previously apologised for picking up a journalist’s phone and walking out of a Strictly press event midway through.

A BBC spokesperson said: “Strictly Come Dancing’s public vote is independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy every week. Any claims to the contrary are entirely without foundation. Unfortunately, despite requests for it, Mr Skinner is yet to share the email he references with anyone from the BBC so we are unable to comment on it.”

A spokesperson for PromoVeritas, the company which independently verifies the Strictly public vote, said: “All votes are independently and comprehensively verified by two auditors. We can confirm that all votes received are validated. This has been the case every week and we have reported no issues with the public vote or how it is being represented in the final results.”