BBC Strictly's Craig Revel Horwood ‘masked deep sadness’ during final – amid exit fears

Eastenders star Jamie Borthwick and professional dancer Nancy Xu have been crowned this year's winners of the Strictly Come Dancing's Christmas special.

It's only been just over a week since the hit dance competition wrapped up its 2023 series but there is still plenty of glitter and sparkles left for the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special.

BBC Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood is known for being the show's panto villain so fans were left surprised after the 58-year-old appeared emotional during Saturday night's final.

One of the Strictly Come Dancing judges looks 'set to be replaced' next year after fans issued a complaint saying it "drives me mad". Saturday night's (December 16) final saw Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke on the judging panel for the last time this year.

Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood is said to have been 'overwhelmed' during the 2023 final after a telling moment in which he tried to fight back tears. The latest run of the BBC One dance contest came to an end on Saturday night (December 16).

Ellie Leach was crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing 2023 alongside professional dancer Vito Coppola, and she had a sweet message for her dance partner after they lifted the Glitterball trophy. Ex-Coronation Street actress Ellie, 22, was completely stunned when Tess Daly, 54, and Claudia Winkelman, 51, announced she'd won, while Vito, 31, was immediately overcome with emotion and broke down in tears.

Strictly Come Dancing 2023 is officially over with Coronation Street's Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola deservedly took home the iconic Glitter Ball trophy. But a moment which really caught the attention of viewers was veteran judge Craig Revel Horwood's emotional moment.The 58 year old is renowned for his cutting judging technique and icy exterior - plus, his 19 year long run of barely showing any emotion.

Strictly Come Dancing fans have said those in the ballroom appeared 'too chilled out' when Ellie Leach's 'life was risked' during the final. The former Coronation Street star made it to the end of the BBC One dance contest on Saturday night (December 16) with pro dance partner Vito Coppola.

Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has let slip who he wants to see claim the glitterball trophy tonight just hours ahead of this series' highly-anticipated final.

Strictly Come Dancing's Craig Revel Horwood has admitted that he didn't think that Bad Education star, Layton Williams, would end up in this year's final.The 58 year old, who has been a judge on the show since its inception back in 2004, revealed the reason he thought Layton wouldn't go all the way was because of his background in professional dancing and performance. Rather, he thought Layton's West End stints may have hindered him, rather than helped him.To recap, before landing a place on Strictly, Layton was known for his slew of musical theatre roles, having bagged lead parts in Billy Elliot the Musical, Thriller - Live, Hairspray the Musical, Rent, and most recently, Everybody's Talking About Jamie.

Strictly Come Dancing star Ellie Simmonds told fans that she has been rushed to hospital - and said she was gutted to be spending the lead up to Christmas in hospital. The former Paralympian swimmer, 29, shared a photo from her hospital bed, with her hand hooked to a drip, on Saturday morning as she updated her fans about her condition. Sharing a photo on social media with her 117,000 followers, Ellie wrote: "Never would of thought spent days in December and lead up to Christmas in hospital.

Craig Revel-Horwood has opened up about being the "longest serving Strictly judge in the world" as the final three celebrities prepare to battle it out on the dancefloor to lift the GlitterBall trophy this weekend. But the judge, 58, also shared a Strictly secret as he reminisced about when the show started nearly 20 years ago and revealed why his position on the judging panel changed in 2004, after the dance competition first aired.

Johannes Radebe has broken his silence on his exit from Strictly Come Dancing with an emotional message to his dance partner Annabel Croft. The professional dancer and former tennis player narrowly missed out on a spot in the final after finding themselves in the dance-off on Sunday (Dec 10).

Craig Revel Horwood disagreed with his fellow judges at the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final as he opted to save Annabel Croft over Bobby Brazier - despite judges Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas voting in favour of saving the latter. Craig, 58, was the third judge to vote, leaving head judge Shirley, 62, to cast the deciding vote.

Strictly Come Dancing star Vito Coppola has shared his advice to Ellie Leach as he reacted to the news they had made it through to the final. The pair wowed in the ballroom over the weekend as they competed in the semi-final of the BBC One dance contest.

Strictly Come Dancing's 2023 finalists have been confirmed after a sad final exit. It's been 12 weeks since 14 celebrities first appeared in the ballroom after signing up for this year's run of the BBC One dance contest.

Craig Revel Horwood went against his fellow judges during the latest Strictly Come Dancing results - after fans claimed to spot his 'dislike' with one of the show's couples. It was a crucial night in the ballroom on Saturday night (December 9) as there were three places in the final at stake.

Strictly Come Dancing star Layton Williams slammed so-called 'fans' of the show before it was revealed he had made it through to the final. The actor and West End star had another amazing weekend in the ballroom with dance partner Nikita Kuzmin.

Strictly Come Dancing's Layton Williams was floored after judge Craig Revel Horwood gave him and partner Nikita Guzman a standing ovation during the semi-finals of the show. Layton and Nikita brought the house down with their lively performance of The Charleston - earning them full marks from the judges. When it was Craig's turn to give comments on the dance, he simply stood and clapped his hands, as his fellow judge Motsi Mabuse followed suit.

Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left complaining over Anton Du Beke as he returned to the judging panel for the semi-final. It was a crucial night in the ballroom on Saturday (December 9) as the four remaining couples performed for a place in next weekend's grand final.