strictly come dancing finalists 2022

Strictly Come Dancing names Hamza Yassin as its 2022 champion

The wildlife presenter danced with Jowita Przystal

Online News Writer & Diversity and Inclusion Lead
Updated: December 17, 2022

The final of Strictly Come Dancing is finally upon us after 13 gruelling weeks. Our final four are Fleur East, Hamza Yassin, Helen Skelton and Molly Rainford – and it was Hamza who lifted the Glitterball Trophy in a nail-biting final!

DISCOVER: How Fleur East's Strictly appearance has impacted three-year marriage to Marcel

In tears, Hamza praised partner Jowita as an "angel disguised as a human being" and said it was the "best thing that has ever happened to me".

WATCH: See the moment Hamza Yassin is named as Strictly champion

Just like other finals, the celebs danced a routine chosen by the judges, their spectacular showdances and their favourite dance from the series. Plenty of tens were dished out, and even the notoriously grumpy Craig had nice things to say to the finalists.

Who are the Strictly finalists?

Fleur East

© Photo: BBC

Fleur East rose to fame on the X Factor before a successful stint on I'm a Celebrity and has been the voice the nation is tuning into with her hit breakfast show.

The singer is paired with Italian professional Vito Coppola, for his first-ever series of Strictly, and they've had a rocky ride, landing in the bottom two on four occasions. Despite this, they were the only couple to have scored a perfect 40 ahead of the final, which they received for their breathtaking Couple's Choice routine, which was danced at Blackpool.

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Her first dance was her nearly-perfect samba, and she made that a perfect one with Craig complaining he "couldn't find anything wrong with it" and Shirley had high praise saying "there aren't professional couples" as good as Fleur with the dance style.

In their showdance, they set the ballroom alight - literally - as their Argentine tango / rumba-inspired dance set pulses racing. "It was great," concluded Craig, with Motsi labelling her a "queen".

As they hit the dancefloor for the final time, Fleur and Vito went for their Couple's Choice, which originally scored a perfect score, and Craig confirming that it took him back to the "magic of Blackpool" while Anton said: "In ten years time, we'll still be talking about that dance."

Hamza Yassin

© Photo: BBC

Hamza has been a delight this series, with the wildlife cameraman having a relatively low-profile ahead of the series, but has now captured the hearts of many in the nation.

Hamza has been dubbed as "Mr. Ballroom" for how well he performs in hold, and has topped the leaderboard a whopping five times, while also being the dancer with the most points from the judges going into the final!

Hamza is paired with The Great Dancer champion Jowita Pryzstal, who was making her Strictly main series debut with him.

READ: Strictly star Hamza Yassin's major achievement ahead of final

DISCOVER: Strictly's Hamza Yassin reveals struggle ahead of the final with very candid comment

Their first dance of the final was their salsa, which was first danced in the fourth week, nearly getting a perfect mark. The judges praised the reprise of the routine, with Motsi even saying she "loved" it more than the first time. Their scores ended up the same, however, with Craig highlighting how Hamza could have controlled his "free arm".

The couple went for a ballroom-inspired showdance, but Shirley picked up a moment of "panic" in the star as he performed, with Craig saying it was "rocky and underwhelming" although he also praised it as "classy".

Hamza and Jowita chose their afrobeats-inspired Couple's Choice as their final routine, and it proved to be a crowd-pleaser all over again. Shirley said Hamza was a "star in your own right" while Anton confessed that he got "emotional" watching Hamza dance, comparing it to the "clouds parting". The first time they danced the routine, Hamza and Jowita just missed out on a perfect score, but this time they managed to impress all the judges.

Helen Skelton

© Photo: BBC

Helen has been a fixture on our screens for years now with stints on Blue Peter and Countryfile and currently entertaining Channel 5 viewers with Winter on the Farm.

Helen, who is paired with three-time finalist Gorka Marquez, has topped the leaderboard twice and has avoided the dance-off during her time on the show. Who can forget that iconic Cabaret routine?!

READ: Who is Strictly star Helen Skelton famous footballer brother?

DISCOVER: What is Strictly star Anton du Beke's real name?

Helen reprised her jive as her first dance and Shirley was enchanted saying she "deserved everything that comes your way" while Anton praised the "smoothness and style" this time around.

Shirley praised Helen for her "self-belief" in her showdance routine to Shine, but did highlight some unsteadiness around her "dismounts". Craig, who has judged every single showdance in Strictly history called the routine "great" despite some errors.

We already mentioned it, but Helen made sure to return to her Cabaret dance as her final one, and the performance raised the roof! Motsi could barely get a word out as the audience continued to erupt into applause and Shirley described it as "everything we need in a final dance".

Molly Rainford

© Photo: BBC

Molly has followed in the footsteps of many of her CBBC stars by taking part in the show, and the Nova Jones star has made it all the way to the final.

Like Fleur, Molly has had a rough ride in the competition, landing in the bottom two on four occasions, while topping the leaderboard all the way back in week two. She'll be hoping that her dances wow viewers into casting their votes her way.

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READ: Why Strictly's Helen Skelton's Christmas with three children will be bittersweet

The pair's first dance was their leaderboard-topping quickstep, which originally scored 34. Craig said there was a "marked improvement" in the routine and Shirley added that it was "absolutely superb".

Molly then upped the ante for her Prince-inspired showdance, bringing all kinds of saucy as Anton praised her "attitude" and for going down a different route. But Shirley highlighted a bit of the dance that she claimed was out of sync, before ultimately praising it as a "change from everything in the series we've seen from you".

Molly and Carlos went for their rumba as their final routine, with Anton saying "this improved" saying she had a maturity that she was able to bring to the dance that gave it "another level". Craig agreed with Anton, praising the "storytelling" while also praising the Strictly live band who provided the live music for the show.

What else happened in the Strictly final?

While fans waited for the results to come through, we were treated to a terrific series of extra goodies, including a performance from Florence and the Machine.

The eliminated celebs then returned for a reprise of their best bits, including Tony Adams losing his trousers, and Ellie Taylor's Casualty inspired tango, before we got a sneak peek at the Christmas special!

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