That’s it for Strictly’s 20th anniversary year!

I’m signing off from this year’s Strictly live blog. I’ve loved spending it with you all, and I hope you are as euphoric as I am right now! What a wonderful end to a very strange series. Much love, and from everyone at the Telegraph, have a very merry Christmas!

See below for how the 2024 final unfolded

08:44 PM GMT

The curse of Strictly has got Chris – not the affairs, but the crying

“I don’t know what to say,” says Chris, visibly overwhelmed, and crying. “Well done Chris!” shouts a stalwart Strictly Mum from the audience, and everyone cheers.

Dianne’s parents are in the audience, weeping and so thrilled. Her dad has obtained a CHRIS AND DIANNE baseball cap. We need to remember, these are not stagey parents, so this is basically the equivalent of them wearing matching t-shirts and clutching a banner.

What is so thrilling is seeing how relaxed and delighted their fellow finalists are. They are all Strictly champions, all brilliant dancers, and all the best support. Strictly is the most fun to watch when you see a camaraderie, a support and a respect building between all the dancers, and this is so evident this year.

I hope everyone involved in Strictly has a lie down for about a month. And for the first time ever, I’m going to book tickets for the Strictly live tour. See you there?

08:35 PM GMT

And the winner is…

It’s Chris and Dianne! Well, isn’t that fantastic! Also, I really hope our editor can commission a winner’s Strictly Diary from him for next week.

08:27 PM GMT

The previous contestants return for a montage of best bits

Tonight has been the highest-scoring Strictly final ever – I’m not entirely surprised given that three out of the four judges have only given 10s – but that aside, it’s been a terrific evening.

Ruth Jones came out to read a second lot of Ts and Cs in her guise as Nessa from Gavin and Stacey, with some good improv between her and the dancers, and then a short preview of the Gavin and Stacey finale coming this Christmas. It’s a testament to how brilliant that show is that it slotted in perfectly to this episode.

With nine minutes to fill before the winner can be announced, there’s a big old montage of filler with the contestants who left earlier on in the series and, as is the way with all elimination series, there is an element of “Oh my gosh, YOU were in this!?” Dr Punam, Pete and Paul all give the best soundbites – well done to the MVP er, P’s.

Then all the un-couples pros and former couples come on for a dance to a montage and bless Toyah Wilcox for goodnaturedly recreating one of her stranger dance moves. The audience’s eyes almost fell out at the sight of darling Nikita back in his Rocky Horror costume – and at Wynne and Katya dancing together which didn’t feel like something that would ever happen again.

But everything is overshadowed by Pete emerging with Jowita, sporting those insane pink trousers that made him look so sad, and sporting his best haughty model face before dancing with Jowita in a way that I believe is technically described as “very, very hot”.

A lovely group of contestants who’ve, for the most part, done just the right thing: taken Strictly very seriously and themselves not seriously at all.

08:13 PM GMT

Sarah and Vito’s Madonna Cha Cha is the palate cleanser we all need

Oh my goodness, the WAY we all need Sarah and Vito’s high energy Madonna dance as a camp palate-cleanser after all that emotion. Spin her, Vito, spin her like a sexy little record!

The return of Vito’s black vinyl trousers and Sarah as his Like a Virgin opposite in full fringed minidress – what a combination. In fact, the only combination that could possibly follow Chris and Dianne. “What a shame it’s all over,” says Anton, grinning broadly and hammering his feet, “I’m so upset.”

As he says, this has truly been a phenomenal final. Sarah and Vito have been workhorses throughout, regardless of serial underscoring from the judges (ironic, really, given that three of the judges have given 10s all night). “This is the most unforgettable final in my six years here,” says Motsi. That’s down to every contestant, every dancer, and everyone in the audience who has done their time freezing their asses off in the queue beforehand.

And well done Vito who does another heroic speech geeing up Sarah in the Clauditorium.

That means JB and Tasha are top with 119, then Sarah on 118, followed by Chris on 116. Gosh it’s close (unsurprisingly given those 10s).

Craig: 10
Motsi: 10
Shirley: 10
Anton: 10

Kat’s score: 10

08:03 PM GMT

Chris and Dianne have made us cry and Craig write a poem

Hats off to Chris for his absolute refusal to cry in a Strictly VT, and hats off to Dianne for filling this gap by doing her sacred duty and dropping a few sobs.

The screams – yes, screams – that greet him and Dianne as they take to the dance floor for their waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers-slash-Liverpool FC, are so loud that the sound is temporarily fuzzed out. I have never heard that before on the BBC.

It’s probably the heightened emotions from this evening, but I found the cheesy moment when Chris walks alone – get it? Because he’s blind but it’s OK because Strictly is behind him – rather lovely this time. That, or I’m just sad because we won’t see any more new dances from Chris and Dianne. And bless him, Chris does cry after the dance because it’s crying that is earned.

There is one shot of Dianne’s parents in the audience, holding each other, looking utterly shell-shocked at what their daughter and Chris have achieved, which is worth a 100 of Strictly’s dreadfully manipulative VTs. That said, Craig has written a little poem for Chris, the like of which we will never see again, and then runs onto the floor and hugs him. All extraordinary.

I would also like to thank Roger Willatt who has just sent me a very lovely email containing the phrase “I look forward to reading your updates for the next series” which I look forward to sending on to my editors in very meaningful italics.

Craig: 10
Motsi: 10
Shirley: 10
Anton: 10

Kat’s score: 10

07:51 PM GMT

Tasha and Aljaž finish their dances with a 40-point American Smooth

Fresh off his superb samba, JB further cemented his place as the nation’s favourite not-winner by cheekily quoting the “Merry Christmas” line from The X Factor that has made him a meme for the last decade. You just know he’s just won a significant bet from a lad who will now be simultaneously very cross and laughing quite hard.

Tasha and Aljaž dutifully play up their required role as Couple Sad to Do Their Last Dance Together for the Strictly VT, with the Strictly high emotion music in the background. It feels as creakingly hackneyed as an old fairground ride – the contestants deserve better. New VT planning for 2025, please.

Their American Smooth to Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi is as efficiently beautiful as their first dance, but again, lacking the spark and excitement of their show dance (but could anything top that!). Tess hammers home the Sadness of It All by asking Tasha how it feels to have done their last dance together. Good grief, they’re fine, ask them a new question.

Well done to The Telegraph’s Strictly data-cruncher Chris Bennion for seeing that Caroline Flack in 2014, and Faye and Ashley in 2016 got the full 120 points  – Layton and Fleur both got 119 in recent years, so 119 remains extraordinary.

Craig: 10
Motsi: 10
Shirley: 10
Anton: 10

Kat’s score: 9

07:41 PM GMT

JB and Lauren’s samba unleashes pure joy in the studio

HERE WE GO, HERE WE GO! JB dancing the samba brings all the magic I wanted in his last two dances. Whatever it is about this dance that gets him going, it’s wonderful. He prowls the floor with Lauren giving it everything, every swivel, every hip thrust accompanied by such character and joy. Well done JB, and well done Lauren, I could watch this over and over again. In fact, I might prescribe this to myself once a week through January.

“You danced the samba three times in a series – I wouldn’t dance the samba three times in a year!” says Anton in impressed disbelief. Perhaps that is the joy we’re seeing: JB mastering something that seems so easy to him, and so incomprehensible to others. Lauren does a very pretty speech about her first Strictly final and thanks Amy which is very correct of her.

Craig: 10
Motsi: 10
Shirley: 10
Anton: 10

Kat’s score: 10

07:35 PM GMT

Sarah and Vito’s show dance doesn’t hit the high notes

Vito’s trousers are safely sewn back on, much to viewers’ disappointment – now with added braces and cummerbund for safety.

Their edgy Kander and Ebb-inspired dance at Blackpool was a huge favourite, so it makes sense that they’ve gone for something adjacent in their show dance, which features a medley from Cabaret. However, it’s much more major key and chaotic than their Blackpool dance, like they were riffing rather than able to do a proper routine.

It felt quite vague and didn’t get started until Sarah was spun around beautifully by Vito in one of the most stunning lifts of the series. They are a terrific couple, but this was not the dance to show that off to the best of their ability. Sarah, ever the pro, can possibly tell this as she brings out the tears during the obligatory “and why should the audience vote for you?” interview in the Clauditorium.

Craig: 9
Motsi: 10
Shirley: 10
Anton: 10

Kat’s score: 8

07:24 PM GMT

Chris and Dianne’s showdance is the best Christmas party assortment

Tasha has just been surprised by her brother who, as we’ve heard ad infinitum this series, lives in Australia – except the BBC has flown him over for the final! I just shrieked so loudly that my dog woke up and immediately left the sofa, sulking.

This wasn’t helped by my borderline sobs as Chris and Dianne jumped on the spot like they were in a mosh pit during their show dance to You Get What You Give by New Radicals. This was a lovely routine packed with ballroom, Latin and riffs. Chris got to do a bit of paso and show off those lifts he’s been rightly applauded for throughout the series, Dianne did splits in mid-air, and then they did Spice Girls-style high kicks and sang along to the “We’ll kick your a– in!” line. “We got to have a party and make people smile,” Chris says.

As delightful as it is to watch the dance and all its ingredients, it’s almost more moving when Anton says that Dianne isn’t dancing any differently with Chris than she would with any of her partners. “You are extraordinary,” he says frankly. “Are you the best dancer we’ve ever had on Strictly? Probably not. Are you the most extraordinary? Absolutely.”

Huge, huge fun and a reminder of what a joy television – communally watched and enjoyed – truly is.

Craig: 8
Motsi: 10
Shirley: 10
Anton: 10

Kat’s score: 9

07:10 PM GMT

Tasha and Aljaž’s show dance deserves 11

There’s nowhere left for Tasha to go on the leaderboard, but this incredible show dance deserves 11s, Spinal Tap-style.

Whatever magic JB lacks, Tasha has it in spades. The audience is notoriously prickly about contestants with previous dancing experience, but Tasha has topped the leaderboard an astonishing number of times – so many I genuinely can’t count any more, minimum nine out of 13 – and only been punished with the dance-off for these crimes in very recent weeks. Lucky Aljaž getting paired with her for his returning year to Strictly!

Where their re-run of their Couple’s Choice was effective rather than heartstopping, their show dance is electrifying. Completely tremendous. This is a stunning dance, both in terms of choreography and energy. Tasha has done herself incredibly proud with this – and how lucky are we to get to see it. Even Craig gets his 10 paddle out, and rightly so.

Craig: 10
Motsi: 10
Shirley: 10
Anton: 10

Kat’s score: 10

07:01 PM GMT

Magic is missing from JB and Lauren’s Motown medley

JB and Lauren’s show dance is to a Motown medley and, as efficient and watchable as it is, my lasting takeaways are not about JB, but how engaging Lauren is to watch, and what absolute bangers came out of the Motown stable.

JB is always fine to watch, but I never feel like I see anything of him in the dance. He may understandably be very private – not everyone wants to trot out their inner self when they’re on a job for three months – but that’s the magic I’m missing. Motown and Lauren though, wow. It’s lovely to hear him talking about the dance in the Clauditorium afterwards (and please can we promote Claudia to main host soon) but some more animation on the floor would be lovely.

Once again, Craig is the lone non-10 on the judges table, but then the Strictly final is always sponsored by Big Ten.

Craig: 9
Motsi: 10
Shirley: 10
Anton: 10

Kat’s score: 9

06:52 PM GMT

The voting is now open

Slightly confusingly, the vote is now open after one round of dances. This is to give everyone time to vote and for votes to be counted before the end of the show and the trophy is handed out.

We also get two rounds of three votes, so get out there and get voting! (Or go to the fridge and refill the snacks before the next dance.)

06:49 PM GMT

Vito’s trousers steal the show (again) in Sarah’s American Smooth

On seeing Shirley as Sarah and Vito’s mentor, I was quite anxious that she was going to tell Sarah How Very Brave she was again for Representing All Women Over 50 on Strictly, but she gave a very nice dance lesson instead. (And then shoved in something about her age right at the end – put a pin in it, Shirley, let her have her moment.)

Sarah and Vito are doing their American Smooth to Proud by Heather Small, which I couldn’t remember – and then had PTSD flashbacks as soon as Vito ended up with Sarah’s skirt over her head. This is a graceful, lovely dance, but the Miranda associations last longer than the song because Vito looks so silly with her skirt over his head. It’s giving Mr Napkinhead.

Vito’s trousers have been a starring role in this series of Strictly, and BlueSky went OFF when said trousers decided to make a play for the headlines right at the end with a wardrobe malfunction. Watching Vito, dignified, while holding the front of his trews up with one hand – it’s Oscar-worthy.

I mentioned earlier that the judges’ scores don’t have any impact tonight, which might explain the 10s being thrown around like so many Quality Street. I don’t think Motsi, Shirley and Anton have any other numbers under their tables. Well done Craig for his usual curmudgeonly restraint (well, ish.)

Craig: 9
Motsi: 10
Shirley: 10
Anton: 10

Kat’s score: 9

06:38 PM GMT

Chris and Dianne shine with a polished Couple’s Choice

Chris and Dianne’s judge mentor for their Couple’s Choice is Craig – who, we keep forgetting because he’s become such a panto villain, quite lucratively too, is also a dancer and choreographer. It’s lovely to see them riffing off each other. As Chris said in his Strictly Diary this week, he can take as well as give and has had plenty of experience in being heckled in stand-up comedy.

The cheers that greet Chris and Dianne as they come out for their dance say it all: affectionate, friendly and grateful. Chris and Dianne have given us television that’s truly amazing and uniting. The moment when Chris puts his hands over Dianne’s eyes, and everything turns dark before lighting up again to reveal him spinning her around on his shoulders is mesmerising. Standing ovations from the audience and the judges. “Chris, I’m a mess, and it’s because of you,” says Motsi, tears running down her face. “All 300 hours of makeup were for nothing.”

Chris’s musicality is simply extraordinary, and this is extraordinary television. This is also piling on quite unreasonable pressure onto future blind contestants. It’s also a routine with real heart – unlike the last two, it doesn’t feel like a beautifully executed re-run, it feels like something brand new.

Craig: 8
Motsi: 10
Shirley: 10
Anton: 10

Kat’s score: 10

06:28 PM GMT

Tasha and Aljaž bring their Couple’s Choice back to the floor

Anton oversaw JB and Lauren’s Viennese waltz (and the position of JB’s thumb which was a source of great consternation last time round – ballroom dancing is a odd thing), and Motsi is here to give Tasha and Aljaž’s Couple’s Choice.

As is tradition in almost all Couple’s Choice dances (Punam and Chris mercifully aside,) they are barefoot and wearing flimsy shirts, both mediums of true self-expression. It’s like watching two gazelles with their BAGA awards doing gymnastic routines – effortless and charming. Shirley and Motsi are up on their feet at the end. They are such a terrific couple and I wouldn’t be surprised if Tasha picks up dancing as a career again beyond the Strictly tour.

Craig: 9
Motsi: 10
Shirley: 10
Anton: 10

Kat’s score: 9

06:18 PM GMT

JB and Lauren bring back their Poppins Viennese waltz

JB and Lauren are back doing their Viennese waltz to Let’s Go Fly a Kite from Mary Poppins which, while completely beautiful, sends my brain off into questions about why Mary and Mr Banks are dancing together at all. ANYWAY! Lauren still makes the most stunning double for Julie Andrews (bravo to the hair and costume departments, those sleeves are heavenly) and JB looks relaxed and does a great job. Is it a winning dance? Not in the year we have Captain Charisma McCausland, no, but they acquit themselves very well.

Craig: 10
Motsi: 10
Shirley: 10
Anton: 10

Kat’s score: 9

06:09 PM GMT

Heeeeeeere we go!

Oh lord, everyone’s in white, dancing in slow motion, and there’s a voiceover. Hallucinatory drug sequence? Near-death experience? Thank goodness, no, it’s just the introduction to the pros dancing.

Strictly hasn’t hammered home the fact that it’s 20 years since the first series, probably because of all the PR nightmares its had over the past few months, but this dance is pure vintage Strictly: cheesy, high-energy, sparkly, and with plenty of mugging to camera. Grown-up and modern, it is not. And that’s before we get to the contestants, who are all introduced under HUGE NAMES as though they are taking part in a 2007 episode of The X Factor.

Carlos has really earned the privilege of walking Tess down the stairs – he has been a delight in the Clauditorium this series – and I’m delighted to see that Johannes is escorting Claudia. Kai has done an excellent PR job by appearing on as many other BBC shows as possible, but Johannes has an open dance card and nobody puts Jojo in the corner.

06:00 PM GMT

And we’re live!

All systems are go for the last Strictly of the series. It’s been a good one, hasn’t it, against all the odds? Well done to everyone who’s been part of it and made it work.

05:50 PM GMT

Who is going to win?

You’ve got 10 minutes to get the snacks and drinks ready, and to read Michael Hogan’s excellent guide to the four finalists. What were their finest moments? What might they want to forget? And what are their chances of winning?

Read the guide here.

05:40 PM GMT

Strictly helped me break limits of parenthood, says Sarah Hadland

Strictly Come Dancing finalist Sarah Hadland has said the competition has helped her to break the limits of parenthood, writes India McTaggart.

The actress, 53, best known for playing Stevie Sutton in the BBC sitcom Miranda, will be competing for the glitterball trophy at the grand final on Saturday night.

Ahead of her performance, the self-professed Strictly “superfan” has admitted that being part of the show has made her aware that she “put limits” on herself, partly because of being a parent.

She said: “It’s made me realise, [something] which I did not expect to get out of this, that I have actually put limits on myself.

“I’ve decided – and I don’t know if this is quite a common thing when you’re a parent, or you’ve got other things going on your life – I think sometimes you put all your energy into other things, and then I think maybe what happens is you start to think you put all your belief maybe in other people, and you don’t do it for yourself.”

05:30 PM GMT

The final songs and dances

All stops are being pulled out this week as the couples revisit high-scoring favourites and routines that really hit with the audience.

On paper, Chris and Dianne are a total walkover with their dances. You Get What You Give by New Radicals is one of the most joyous songs of the 1990s and entirely in keeping with Chris’s way of doing Strictly – I can’t wait to watch their show dance to it, easily the most exhilarating choice.

While the other couples are technically better, Chris and Dianne’s routines brought another level of charisma, inspiration, emotion – and humour. Chris’s total dedication to working hard (as all the contestants have done this year) has been amplified by his wit and refusal to engage with Strictly’s more saccharine qualities – witness their Couple’s Choice, which had a journey, but not with a capital J. “That’s the whole point of being on this show for me – to represent in a positive way, not in a sob-story way,” Chris wrote in his final Strictly Diary. He’s done so brilliantly.

I’ll be interested to see what the other couples make of their dances, but in terms of the excitement factor, there isn’t a lot to compare.

JB and Lauren: Show dance – Motown medley; Viennese waltz – Let’s Go Fly a Kite from Mary Poppins; Samba – Mas Que Nada by Sergio Mendes

Chris and Dianne: Show dance – You Get What You Give by New Radicals; Couple’s’ Choice – Instant Karma (We All Shine On) by John Lennon; Waltz – You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers

Tasha and Aljaž: Show dance – Sing, Sing, Sing by Benny Goodman; Couple’s Choice – What About Us by P!nk; American Smooth – Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi

Sarah and Vito: Show dance – Cabaret by Metropole Orkest; American Smooth – Proud by Heather Small; Cha Cha – Like a Prayer by Madonna

05:15 PM GMT

Chris’s final Strictly Diary: We didn’t rely on ‘sympathy vote’

As much as Chris and Dianne’s dancing will leave a great void in my viewing schedule, I’ll miss his laconic Strictly Diaries every week just as much.

“If I’m honest, I didn’t know whether Strictly was worth the risk, because I didn’t know if it was achievable. If I’d been terrible, it would have been no good for anybody – all it would have proved is that somebody with a disability can’t compete. But, with my amazing teacher Dianne by my side, we’ve managed it. We’ve also made it to the finish line without ever once having less points than the person eliminated, so I don’t feel like we’ve been kept in on sympathy. I’m proud that we’ve deserved our place each week.”

And as for what he’s learnt…

“If I could turn the clock back, I’d probably spend six months beforehand getting fitter,” he says. “Even last week I couldn’t physically talk after our Viennese waltz.

“Paul [Merson] and Nick [Knowles] have been supporting me from the sidelines and Pete [Wicks] has become like a brother to me. We’ve promised we’ll go for a slap-up meal together once we’re out of dance prison.”

I hope they have a fabulous time – every contestant and dancer on Strictly this year deserves it.

Read Chris’s final Strictly Diary here.

05:01 PM GMT

Welcome to the Strictly grand final!

Thirteen weeks, one injured pro, and one injured contestant later (and I hope Amy and Nick are both recovering well) and we’re here: the 20th anniversary Strictly final.

It was Pete and Jowita’s time to go home last week and we have four wonderful dancers in the final: Sarah and Vito, Tasha and Aljaž, Chris and Dianne, and JB and Lauren. But what a three months we’ve had!

It’s been one hell of a series considering how badly Strictly’s year started, with fired professional dancers, complaints from past celebrities, and a celebrity cast list that had many people going “Eh?” But Strictly’s secret has always been that you fall in love with people you’d never heard of three months earlier and that’s certainly been the case this year.

Shirley called Pete Wicks “Mr Strictly Come Dancing” last week, and he and Chris McCausland have done the most amazing job of making Strictly feel more modern and fun – just by being there.

Strictly’s American counterpart, Dancing With the Stars, has shown it up in terms of dance style variety and contestants, and it was thanks to elements like Chris and Pete’s dry wit, and Dr Punam Krishan’s glorious Couple’s Choice with Gorka Márquez – the first time Bollywood had been danced on the show in its 20-year history, which feels rather shameful – that Strictly didn’t feel as entirely saccharine as it can do.

As well as our couples dancing three final routines apiece – two favourites from the series and a new (and hopefully spectacular) show dance, there is a professionals dance with music by Raye.

As for who gets to raise the Glitterball Trophy: the judges’ scores are just for guidance. Tonight, the final decision rests with the viewers at home – so get ready to cast your votes!