It’s over for another year. Another series of Strictly Come Dancing has finished, another 15 contestants have been through the highs and lows of the judges’ comments and the millions of viewers have had the opportunity to pick their favourite – and pick holes in everything they don’t like.
Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell really did shine in the final. Bobby has a real superstar feel to him and I’m sure he’s going to go on to be hugely successful in whatever he turns his hand to next.
Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin have been brilliant from day one but, in many ways, that is why they were never going to win.
I was on the show two years ago and I don’t think a day has gone by since without someone asking me something about it. Over the last few months, lost of people have wanted to talk about Layton.
His skill level is ridiculously good – probably better than anyone who has ever been on the show before. I know that has annoyed some viewers who consider him to be a professional dancer, but I always think there should be room for people who are starting from scratch, those who know what they are doing and everyone in-between.
Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola are worthy winners in my eyes. She has been brilliant throughout and every time I watch her dance, I have a smile on my face. Vito has been one of the stand-out stars this year and whenever he explains anything to presenter Claudia Winkleman and drops into his gorgeous Anglo-Italian vocabulary, it is TV gold.
During the final, they all got emotional when talking about each other, so what is it? What happens on Strictly? Why does it produce so many lasting friendships?
I arrived on the show never having danced before and fully expected to be there for a maximum of three weeks… then I met Nadiya Bychkova. She wandered into my life, grabbed me by the hand and said “I know you see yourself as a tall, awkward goon but I can teach you something you will never forget and I promise you that you’ll love it”.
It doesn’t work for everyone. Amanda Abbington, who was one of the best dancers on the show before her early exit, didn’t turn up to the final. There are some people who really don’t enjoy their time in the spotlight and some who require a therapist to recover from the “Strictly experience”. But most of the time, the team who make the show get the partnerships spot on. Nadiya and I got on from the start. We never had an argument, laughed every day, learned so much from each other and had the best fun every week for three months. I can still feel the buzz from the extra confidence she gave me. She made me a better presenter and we will be friends for the rest of time.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy explained it perfectly on Instagram. He talked about a message from a former contestant saying that nothing is ever quite as bright as the lights on Strictly. He disagrees. “What I think you get out of Strictly is the ability to find the light and the colour in other things.” Nail on head. He went on to explain that that comes from your dance partner. People assume that the Saturday nights are incredible, and they are, but, as Krishnan says, “the best thing is the hard work in the rehearsal room and bond with the person who opens your eyes each week”.
Angela Scanlon was a fan favourite this year and she also found the right words. “I hoped I’d leave the show with an arse like Kim Kardashian and a few killer moves for family weddings. What I hadn’t anticipated is how much growth there would really be. To feel [your partner’s] belief and faith. To laugh. To pick each other up. To share food and ideas and vulnerability… to have met a soul that knows mine deeply, a heart that is as open, is an absolutely unexpected gift.”
There is a portion of the viewing public, and the press, who are obsessed with the “Strictly curse” but the real magic comes from the blessing of friendship.
No couple displayed that more this year than Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe. Sometimes people arrive in your life at just the right time and they were a perfect example. I spoke to Annabel after her exit and, after the death of her husband this year, Johannes was exactly the person she needed; someone to take care of her, encourage her and show her that dancing with him could help her find a smile beyond the grief.
The best partnerships are always a two-way street and, even though Johannes will move on to another partner next year, he will never forget his time with Annabel and what he learned from her along the way.
It is hard when it comes to an end. There is a weird emptiness that lingers but the memories burn bright. We love watching those friendships develop and the best ones last long after the glitter ball stops turning.