Holby City actor Joe McFadden and his professional partner Katya Jones lifted the glitterball trophy on tonight’s Strictly Come Dancing 2017 final.
Joe was the bookies’ favourite to win this year and finished the evening second on the judges’ leaderboard. He and Katya competed in the Grand Final against fellow Alexandra Burke and Gorka Marquez, Debbie McGee and Giovanni Pernice, and Gemma Atkinson and Aljaz Skorjanec.
This year was the first time all four couples performed three routines in the Grand Final. Joe and Katya scored a total of 118 points for their trio of dances, wowing the audience and the judges with their Movie Week Viennese Waltz and their fairytale-themed Showdance. They also scored a perfect 40 for their Charleston, which head judge Shirley Ballas said ‘pushed the boundaries’ and Craig Revel Horwood simply called ‘fab-u-lous’.
Joe is the first actor to win Strictly since Kara Tointon in 2010 and follows in the footsteps of former Holby City star Tom Chambers, who triumphed in 2008. It’s Katya’s first victory in her second series as a Strictly professional, after she partnered Ed Balls last year reaching sixth place.
When presenter Tess Daly announced the result, a delighted Joe was briefly lost for words. He then described winning as ‘completely surreal’ and said he never imagined winning in a million years, calling his professional partner Katya an amazing artist whilst she fought back tears. As they lifted the trophy, their fellow contestants and professional dancers rushed onto the dancefloor and hoisted them into the air to screams of delight.
Strictly Come Dancing will return on Christmas Day at 6.30 PM on BBC One.
