Shimmering sequins, lurex and chiffon, not to mention glitter ball prizes, always put a Christmas panto in the shade. But in Strictly Come Dancing's 20th year, the winner in the end was a contestant with no glimmers of hope.
The official “highest score” was strictly On Saturday night, the winner, accompanied by professional dance partner Diane Buswell, lost her eyesight 25 years ago, according to host Claudia Winkleman. It was Chris McCausland.
“I found out I was capable of more than I thought I was capable of,” McCausland said. “There were a lot of really fun moments.”
“I think you change people's lives, my love,” Anton du Beke declared. Even the famous grouch, Craig Revel Horwood, was moved by the poem and ended up writing the concluding line to the winner: “You are a shining light to everyone.”
After waltzing to Rodgers and Hammerstein's You'll Never Walk Alone, which has been adopted as Liverpool's anthem, Winkleman greets McCausland and says, “Chris, you are officially Craig Revell.'' -We have parted ways with Horwood. We are all grateful.'' McCausland congratulated him.
Comedian McCausland, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa and led the bet until the final furlong, was crowned king of the dance floor at the show's anniversary performance.
The 47-year-old was honored for exceeding all expectations, tackling complex routines with great resourcefulness and courage throughout the series.
“This is a hell of a final,” de Beke said after watching highly-touted favorite Sarah Hadland and her partner Vito dance their way through the final. miranda The actor said he always called himself a “big fan” when he watched the finals as a “super fan.”
Another possible challenger, TV presenter and former JLS member JB Gill, was praised for fighting his way back into the frame after falling to the bottom of the scoreboard early in the series. .
Perhaps the most acclaimed dancer, Tasha Gouri, received an additional perfect score and was hailed by Du Beke as the best dancer to have appeared in the show.
classic moments strictly Schmalz's dance partner, Aljas Školjanec, told Gouri that he fell in love with dancing when he was five years old, but that he fell in love with it again after dancing with her. Former goalie love island The hearing-impaired contestant received consecutive 10 points throughout the series.
In the final episode of the series, all four finalists looked as if they had become obsolete, as they did at one point this summer, when the BBC's crown jewel show was on the verge of being canceled due to allegations of contestant abuse.
McCausland became the show's first blind contestant. He never dominated the leaderboard, but his outstanding efforts won a unanimous vote in Saturday night's referendum.
Sense was also among the charities hailing McCausland as the show's first blind winner.
Stephen Morris, who is deaf and blind and campaigner for a disability charity, said: Strictly Come Dancing This victory shows that, given opportunity and support, people with disabilities can break through barriers that many mistakenly think are impossible.
“This is a critical moment for representation. People with disabilities make up almost a quarter (24%) of the population, but more than a third (39%) feel their experiences are not heard at all in the media. , or that it is rarely reported.
“We hope that with Chris’ success, even more disabled people will be featured on the biggest TV shows.”
Viewers feeling sad now will be able to seek solace from the show's anniversary celebrations, which will be broadcast on BBC One next Saturday.
