Who won Strictly Come Dancing 2020? Glitterball trophy winner revealed
We have a winner!
Bill Bailey has been crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing 2020, lifting the Glitterball Trophy alongside his dance partner Oti Mabuse at the end of Saturday's grand final.
"It feels surreal, it feels extraordinary, it feels wonderful," Bill Bailey said in an emotional speech. "I never thought that we would get this far, I never thought that we'd get to the final, but I have the most extraordinary teacher, the most extraordinary dancer. Someone who believed in me right from the beginning, and she found something in me. She turned me into this – into a dancer. Thank you, Oti. Thank you so much."
Oti, who has now become the the first Strictly pro dancer to win for two years in a row after her 2019 victory with Kelvin Fletcher, responded: "I think you are amazing. Remarkable Bill Mark Bailey. You just put your heart into everything, you put your soul into everything, you're in your world but I love your world and I always want to be a part of you, and thank you for being a friend, a father figure to me, a brother, and" – gesturing towards the Glitterball Trophy – "for this!"
In a closely contested and spectacular final, the celebs performed three routines each: a Judges' Pick, and Showdance, and their Favourite Dance from the series.
Bill and Oti elected to recreate their Couple’s Choice to Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang for their Favourite Dance. They danced a Quickstep to Bobby Darin’s Talk to the Animals for their Judges’ Pick, and performed to Queen’s The Show Must Go On for their Showdance.
They came joint top of the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard with a total score of 88, including a perfect score for their Showdance. And while the judges' scores are just for guidance in the final, Bill and Oti managed to win the public vote and be crowned champions for 2020.
After the Showdance, head judge Shirley Ballas told Bill: "You are a sensation... you are iconic," while Motsi Mabuse called the dance "unbelievable". And Craig Revel Horwood also praised Bill's Quickstep, saying: "I absolutely adored it."
At 55, Bill Bailey is now the oldest celebrity ever to win Strictly Come Dancing.
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He shared the top spot on the leaderboard with Maisie Smith and HRVY, who also earned high marks and praise from the judges.
Maisie and her partner Gorka Marquez scored 29 points for their Judges' Pick – a Samba to Gloria Estefan’s Samba (Judges’ Pick) – before earning the maximum 30 points for their Showdance to Idina Menzel’s We Need A Little Christmas with a routine which Shirley Ballas called "exquisite, sensational" and "exceptional".
And the EastEnders star's final dance was met with a similarly positive reception from the judging panel, with Motsi Mabuse telling her: "You are such a shining diamond!"
Meanwhile, HRVY and pro partner Janette Manrara began their final by scoring 29 points for their Jive to Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande’s Faith, before receiving an identical score for their Showdance to Brittany Murphy’s Boogie Wonderland.
And the couple saved their best dance of the night for last, choosing their American Smooth to One (Singular Sensation) by A Chorus Line as their favourite dance and scoring the full 30 points, with Craig Revel Horwood calling the routine "Fab-u-lous" and saying that it gave him goosebumps.
Jamie Laing and Karen Hauer finished bottom of the leaderboard on the night but still received a great deal of praise from the judges – scoring 84 points overall.
They began by picking up 26 points for their Charleston to Zero to Hero, before gaining a score of 29 for both their Showdance to Taron Egerton’s I’m Still Standing and their Favourite Dance – a Couple’s Choice to Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) by C+C Music Factory.
Speaking about the Made in Chelsea star's final performance, Shirley described it as "absolutely sensational."
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