Strictly Come Dancing bosses signed Kelvin Fletcher up at the last minute to replace Jamie Laing who pulled out of the competition due to an injury. Partnered with Oti Mabuse, he stormed onto the dance floor in week one with an incredibly sexy Samba. 13 weeks later, hundreds of hours of rehearsals, he and Oti lifted the Glitterball Trophy tonight and joined the former winner’s of the show in the hall of fame.
Earlier this evening, Kelvin, Karim and Emma each performed three dances; a judges pick, a show dance and then their favourite dance.
Kelvin chose to perform his week four Rumba and scored 39 points from the judges.
His show dance however wowed the judges and he was awarded a perfect score of 40.
Finishing off his finale dance trio, he took to the dance floor for the final time with partner Oti and their week one Samba.
READ MORE: Strictly 2019: Shirley Ballas’ appearance leaves fans very distracted
Emma added: “I will miss it so much – guys well deserved, I love you both, well done!”
Kelvin then addressed Oti: “Oti, thank you for the most amazing experience of my life. Thank you to Emma and Karim, Anton and Amy and all the pros and all the celebrities.
“The whole production, the judges, those at home – everyone who has supported me, I feel so proud to be part of this.”
Oti, who was crying, eventually said: “Honestly, I’ve been on this show for five years and I have never, ever met any celeb who gives his heart and soul.”
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Those watching the finale at home were estatic for Kelvin’s win and took to Twitter to comment about the series in general.
One said: “What a show #Strictly has been!!! Such an amazing final!! Well done everyone #StrictlyFinal.”
“Loved tonights Strictly final!! Going to miss watching Strictly every weekend and It Takes Two every weekday evening now!!” Another added.
Someone else wrote: “Fabulous show! Wonderful dances. Tip top production yet again. Love, love love #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing2019.”
“With the week that we’ve had, @bbcstrictly is good for the soul. What a #Strictly final. #Classof2019 were amazing,” one fan remarked.
STRICTLY COME DANCING WINNERS: A TIMELINE
2004 winner: Natasha Kaplinsky
Newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky was the first celebrity to win the BBC dancing series, which originally aired in July of 2004. She was partnered with Brendan Cole. They finished 39 points ahead of competitor Christopher Parker.
2004 winner: Jill Halfpenny
Jill Halfpenny was the second star to impress the judges with her dancing skills. Partnered with Darren Bennett, the pair beat off competition from Julian Clary and Denise Lewis in December of 2004.
2005 winner: Darren Gough
Cricketer Darren Gough won the third series of Strictly. He and partner Lilia Kopylova wowed audiences but never once finished at the top of the leaderboard.
2006 winner: Mark Ramprakash
Mark Ramprakash was the fourth star to lift the Glitterball Trophy. He was partnered with Karen Hardy and they were the first couple to restart a routine after their initial attempt saw Mark’s mic get caught in Karen’s dress.
2007 winner: Alesha Dixon
Before becoming a Strictly judge, Alesha Dixon won the nation’s hearts and the Glitterball Trophy during the fifth series. She was partnered with professional dancer Matthew Cutler.
2008 winner: Tom Chambers
Holby City star Tom Chambers was partnered with Camilla Dallerup when he won the sixth series. He performed the Foxtrot and Salsa in the final week.
2009 winner: Chris Hollins
BBC Breakfast presenter Chris Hollins and his professional partner Ola Jordan surprised viewers when they beat Ricky Whittle and his partner Natalie Lowe in the final. They wowed with the Foxtrot, Charleston, Lindy Hop and Showdance.
2010 winner: Kara Tointon
Kara Tointon was the eighth celebrity to win Strictly. She danced with Artem Chigvintsev and failed to receive 40 points throughout her time on the show.
2011 winner: Harry Judd
Former McFly star Harry Judd was the ninth star to lift the Glitterball Trophy. He didn’t top the leaderboard until week seven but then scored 40 points twice in the final.
2012 winner: Louis Smith
The tenth series of the BBC show was won by Olympian Louis Smith. He danced his way to victory with professional partner Flavia Cacace. He faced competition from Kimberley Walsh, Denise Van Outen and Danni Harmer in the series finale.
2013 winner: Abbey Clancy
Model Abbey Clancy won series eleven of Strictly alongside partner Alijaz Skorjanec. She was called a “spectacular dancer” with “wonderful posture” by former head judge Len Goodman.
2014 winner: Caroline Flack
Love Island host Caroline Flack took to the dance floor in series 12 where she scooped the Glitterball Trophy with Pasha Kovalev.
2015 winner: Jay McGuiness
Jay McGuiness surprised viewers when he won the thirteenth series of the BBC dancing competition with Aliona Vilani. When he learned he’d won, he told host Tess Daly: “I feel spaced out – it’s really weird.”
2016 winner: Ore Oduba
Ore Oduba won the thirteenth series of the BBC dancing competition with Joanne Clifton.
The sports presenter broke down in tears after beating Danny Mac and Louise Redknapp.
2017 winner: Joe McFadden
Joe McFadden was victorious with professional dance partner Katya Jones. The Holby City star beat off competition from fan favourite Debbie McGee, Gemma Atkinson and Alexandra Burke.
2018 winner: Stacey Dooley
Documentary-maker Stacey fought off competition to make it to the Grand Final of Strictly Come Dancing with professional dance partner Kevin Clifton last year. When they won, Kevin described her as “the most wonderful person”.
