DANCING Queen Caroline Flack jumped for joy as she was crowned champion of
Strictly Come Dancing.
The TV beauty, 35, screamed with delight and was lifted up in to the air by
partner Pasha Kovalev after an emotionally charged final of the hit BBC1
show.
She won the public vote after a stunning performance that earned her TWELVE perfect
tens from the judges for her three dances.
It was the first time anyone had managed the feat in ten years of Strictly.
Famously hard-to-please judge Craig Revel Horwood said the crackerjack dancer
melted his heart and called her “absolutely phenomenal”.
And the viewers agreed — voting her the winner ahead of Blue singer Simon
Webbe, 36, and Saturdays popstar Frankie Bridge, 25.
Thrilled Caroline, who crouched to the floor in shock and appeared close to
tears as host Tess Daly announced the result just before 10pm, said: “Wow!
Wow!
“This is the best feeling in the whole world.
“This has been the best experience of my whole life. I’m shaking!
“Thank you so much for all your support, for voting.”
Kovalev said of Flack: “I could not imagine a better partner.”
Towie hunk Mark Wright, 27, was eliminated after his second dance and came
fourth.
Former Xtra Factor presenter Caroline stormed to victory despite heartbreak in
her personal life during the series.
We told yesterday how she dumped music boss lover Jack Street, 27, over his
nights out with a cheerleader from US telly show Glee.
But she threw herself into training with Siberian Pasha, 34 — and told how
taking part in the show was “by far the best thing I’ve ever done”.
She said before the final: “Strictly has changed me as a person. I feel
more confident, happier. We are going to feel lost at the end of this.”
Flack was the odds-on bookies’ favourite coming into last night following a
series of high scores in the past few weeks — and the shock exit of early
favourite Pixie Lott in the quarter-final.
But she thrilled the studio audience — and the millions watching at home —
with three flawless routines that all scored the maximum 40 points.
Wearing a shimmering gold dress for a repeat of her cha-cha-cha — which scored
just 27 when she danced it early in the series — she was described as a “24-carat”
star by head judge Len Goodman.
Bruno Tonioli branded Flack “my golden sexy goddess”. He added: “The
earth was moving. I’m still basking in the afterglow.”
She followed it up with a romantic show dance to Robbie Williams’ Angels that
Craid hailed as “just gorgeous”.
Darcey Bussell — who was one of the world’s top ballerinas — said it was “like
watching a beautiful contemporary ballet”, adding: “You’d be in my
company any day.”
Len hailed the dance, which featured a wind machine, as “wonderful”, adding:
“You don’t need wind machines, you’ve got huge fans up here.”
Her fun Charleston — which she picked as her series favourite — also got top
marks.
It was the first time in the ten years of the show that anyone has got 12
straight tens.
Simon and his partner Kristina Rihanoff were the only other couple to get a 40
in the whole series.
They scored maximum points for a repeat of their sultry Argentine Tango
tonight and were close behind with a total of 118 out of 120.
“Radiant” Frankie also scored two 39s and a 38 – although Craig had
some tough words for her Fred-and-Ginger-style show dance in which she
skipped across a row of benches.
The sneering judge told her partner Kevin Clifton: “It did look a bit
like you were training a horse.”
However the judges scores were only a guide, and last night’s result was
entirely decided by the voting public.
Mark and his partner Karen Hauer were kicked off after the first of two live
shows and did not get to perform their third routine.
The Essex reality star turned TV presenter, who said he was surprised to reach
the final, raised smiles with an energetic show dance to Queen classic Don’t
Stop Me Now.
But Craig compared the routine to a “Jane Fonda aerobics class” while Len said
he was “flying around like Harry Potter on a Nimbus 2000”.
Veteran boyband Take That play two of their hits during the show — expected to
be one of the BBC’s most watched of the year.
Bookmakers cut Flack’s odds from 8-13 to just 1-4 before the show — but are
still facing a “hefty” payout after a flood of bets.
A Coral spokeswoman said: “After weeks of getting off the hook, we’ve finally
got our fingers burnt.
“Caroline Flack was backed off the boards tonight and has left us facing
a hefty Christmas payout.”