Strictly winner Dianne Buswell shares sweet embrace with her parents while Shirley Ballas poses with the stars as the cast and crew let loose backstage at final
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Strictly Come Dancing winner Dianne Buswell shared a sweet hug with her parents during one of the many backstage moments of the final on Saturday evening.
The professional dancer, 34, and her comedian partner Chris McCausland, 47, were crowned 2024 champions after the comedian made history as the show’s first-ever blind contestant and winner.
Chris sent fellow finalists Tasha Ghouri, JB Gill and Sarah Hadland to the post in the ‘best ever’ final, with his cheeky humor and inspiring story helping save the show after a year of scandal.
And after the finale ended, there was a series of celebrations and hugs backstage once the cameras stopped rolling.
Dianne shares a sweet hug with her parents Rina and Mark, who flew from their native Australia to be at the final.
Elsewhere, head judge Shirley Ballas posed with the series’ stars as the cast and crew let loose backstage during the finale.
Strictly Come Dancing winner Dianne Buswell shared a sweet hug with her parents during one of the many backstage moments of the final on Saturday evening
Elsewhere, head judge Shirley Ballas posed with the series’ stars including Tasha Ghouri (seen) as the cast and crew let loose backstage during the finale
Shirley posed with finalists Sarah, Tasha and JB and was seen sharing a hug with professionals Lauren Oakley and Aljaž Škorjanec.
This year’s highest grossing final ever saw all the couples perform three dances each for the judges before presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced Chris as the winner of the coveted Glitterball trophy.
After Chris won, he burst into tears as he was hugged by his fellow celebrities before triumphantly throwing Dianne over his shoulder as the crowd went wild.
When asked by Tess and Claudia how the moment felt, Chris said: ‘It’s amazing, I don’t know what to say.
“I honestly thought I was going to go out for the first week or two and I know no one went out the first week, but I still thought I could do it.
‘We just endured and endured and [Dianne] has gotten so much out of me and she deserves that [the trophy] so much,” as he then gushed over her “positivity” and “faith.”
He then joked, “Unless she changes her number, she’s stuck with me.”
‘This is for [Dianne] and everyone out there, it just goes to show that with the opportunity and support, anything is possible!’.
The professional dancer, 34, and her comedian partner Chris McCausland, 47, were crowned 2024 champions after the comedian made history as the show’s first-ever blind contestant and winner.
Shirley posed with finalists Sarah, Tasha and JB and shared a hug with professionals Lauren Oakley and Aljaž Škorjanec (seen)
Shirley and Sarah Hadland pose after the finale
The main judge was also seen hugging finalist JB
She also took the time to talk to pro Lauren
Chris edged out fellow finalists Tasha, JB and Sarah in the ‘best ever’ final, with his cheeky humor and inspiring story helping save the show after a year of scandal
Chris achieved his first perfect score of 40 points for a waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers, which was his final dance of the series and left the judges and viewers in tears.
His second routine was a mash-up of dance styles to New Radicals’ You Get What You Give and he recreated his viral ‘blackout’ moment for the first dance.
Chris and Dianne also danced to their own tune – Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon.