The 2025 Strictly Come Dancing winner has been uncovered as Gogglebox star and former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! winner Scarlett Moffatt

Tonight marked a poignant part in the Strictly Come Dancing journey, with hosts Tess Daley and Claudia Winkleman bowing out gracefully after being seen on the show for the last time in the pre-recorded Christmas Special.

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The show was momentous for another reason too as Scarlett Moffatt was crowned the winner and lifted the glitterball trophy for the first time, describing victory as “the greatest” festive gift.

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Speaking about her win, Scarlett, 35, said: “This is amazing! I feel like I should have prepared a speech! This is honestly the greatest gift that could have ever happened at Christmas. We’ve all just had the best time!”

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The former Googlebox star and Queen of the I’m A Celebrity jungle, triumphed alongside her professional dance partner Vito Coppola. Speaking to the Mirror ahead of the special being aired, Scarlett said: “I couldn’t believe my luck when I was paired with Vito.

“I really wanted him! I kept mentioning that Vito would be my favourite. I’m so grateful to the show for giving us a chance to be a small part in such a big institution.” Her intuition was right as the pair wowed with their Cha Cha to DJ Play A Christmas Song by Cher, earning a perfect 40 score from the judges.

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Scarlett added: “We just have such a laugh together, it feels like I’ve known him a decade. It’s [Strictly] is just the best.” The star – who shares son Jude, 2, with fiance, Scott Dobinson – is no stranger to performing. She began dancing as a child and went on to be a competitive ballroom and Latin dancer, even training under the guidance of Strictly judge Anton Du Beke.

Winning is not a new experience for Scarlett, she was, after all, crowned British Ballroom Champion at 16, competing in the finals until she was 21. She said: “Strictly reignited the fire inside of me, reminding me that I love dance. It’s definitely going to be something that I continue to do even after strictly, I just love it. It brings me so much joy.”

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Before the episode, Scarlett also spoke of her delight at being able to go on Strictly. She posted a video montage on Instagram, featuring footage from her childhood dancing competitions, edited with sequences of her training for Strictly with Coppola.

Scarlett said: “I know I’ll probably never get to dance on the main Strictly series because of my past dance experience when I was a little girl so getting to be part of the Christmas special means everything to me. Dancing on the Strictly Christmas Special, on Christmas Day, feels like a true bucket-list moment – one of those wishes you make quietly and never really expect to come true.”

The show saw six stars take to the dancefloor which also included comedian Babatunde Aléshé and Nancy Xu, singer Brian McFadden and Michelle Tsiakkas, Gladiators star Jodie Ounsley (Fury) and Neil Jones, All Saints singer Melanie Blatt and Kai Widdrington, and EastEnders actor Nicholas Bailey and Luba Mushtuk.

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Scarlett’s relationship with fame and celebrity hasn’t been quite as smooth as her one with dance. Her star was on a rapid ascent as she won over fans with her quick wit on Gogglebox. A stint in the I’m A Celebrity jungle soon came calling in 2016 following a drastic change in her appearance.

She dropped from a size 18 to an 8, claiming it was part of a diet and exercise plan and released a fitness DVD before admitting she lost the weight on a punishing Swiss bootcamp with extreme calorie restriction. She later revealed that she’d”purposefully gained weight” to discourage fans from rapid weight loss.

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While confident in her own skin again, during rehearsals and training for Strictly she admits the same niggles crop up. She said: “Sometimes I catch glimpses of myself in the mirror and I go, oh, that isn’t what I thought I looked like in my head. But I’m having the best time, and that’s all that matters is that I’m enjoying myself.”

The Christmas special also marked Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s final hosting duties on the BBC show after they stepped down in a shock announcement earlier this year. Tess even managed a little dance herself, performing an Argentine Tango with Aljaž Škorjanec.

Singer Brian and Michelle wowed with their Jive to Run Run Rudolph, earning a total of 39 points out of a possible 40, Nicholas and Luba also got 39 for their Viennese Waltz. Jodie and Neil also did well and scored 37 for their Street Commercial to Red Christmas by Kylie Cantrall.

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With the judges scores and the studio audience vote being added together, TV star Scarlett was announced as the winner and her and Vito lifted Strictly’s Christmas Star Trophy. By some miracle, Scarlett managed to keep her win a secret from her family and they found out with everyone else yesterday.

Ahead of the show’s transmission She said: “I’m going to make them wait.I already feel like a winner anyway, the fact that I’m dancing with Vito and I get to, perform. I don’t want to give anything away.” Following her time in the jungle, in 2017 Scarlett joined TV presenting veterans Ant McPartlin and Declan Donelly as a co-host on Saturday Night Takeaway for two years. She’s since taken a step back from fame, but after Strictly, she’s tempted to make another triumphant return to reality shows.

She’s been rumoured as a name in the I’m A Celebrity All Stars line up alongside Harry Redknapp, Mo Farah and Gemma Collins rumoured to air next May. Teasing us, she added: “I absolutely love the show. Hypothetically, if I was to go back, I would just soak up every second again because I had such an amazing time the first time round. And I was a kid, I’d just turned 25. I was starting out in this industry, and I really feel like if I got the opportunity to do it again, I know myself more now.

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“I enjoyed it when I was last on, but I worried a little bit and I didn’t want it to end. Whereas now, I would just enjoy it for what it is.” Enjoying herself is very much Scarlett’s plan for the festive season.

She added: “I’m juggling doing panto, doing Strictly, and other work commitments, while having a toddler and trying to stay in contact with friends and family. I think you have to not stress and just remember that what a privileged position and a joy it is to have so many people to see over Christmas.”