Hamza Yassin has been crowned the winner of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The wildlife cameraman and his partner Jowita Przystal lifted the glitterball trophy after battling it out in Saturday night’s spectacular final of the BBC dance show.
On winning the 20th series of Strictly, Hamza said: “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
He added: “It’s hard to describe how I feel…Jovita you are an angel disguised as a human being.”
Jovita said Hamza had come into the show with “pigeon toes” and she was honoured to help him win.
Hamza and Jowita are your #Strictly 2022 champions! ?@HamzaYassin3pic.twitter.com/XIHS70xoeE
— BBC Strictly(@bbcstrictly) December 17, 2022
As well as Hamza and Jowita , the other three finalists and their professional partners - Fleur East and Vito Coppola, Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu, and Helen Skelton and Gorka Marquez - performed three routines in a bid to win viewer votes.
They performed a routine chosen by the judges, their own favourite dance and finally a show dance.
Each of the finalists had topped the leaderboard ahead of Saturday’s final but Hamza and Helen were the only celebs to have avoided ever being in the bottom two and the dreaded dance-off.
Hamza and Jowita, who topped the leaderboard in the live semi-final, performed the judges’ pick routine of the salsa to Ecuador by Sash! featuring Rodriguez.
Their couple’s choice was to Jerusalema Remix by Master KG featuring Burna Boy and Nomcebo Zikode, and their show dance was to Let’s Face The Music And Dance by Irving Berlin.
The Couple's Choice that changed the game. Hamza and Jowita are bringing those Afrobeats back even better than before! ? #Strictly@HamzaYassin3pic.twitter.com/oqfs8Xkjbp
— BBC Strictly
Meanwhile, Helen and Gorka performed the jive to Tightrope by Janelle Monae at the request of the judges, their couple’s choice routine to Mein Herr by Liza Minnelli (from Cabaret) and finally their show dance to Shine by Emeli Sande.
An iconic routine from the very first step. We never want to say farewell to Helen and Gorka's Couple's Choice! #Strictly@HelenSkelton@gorkamarquez1pic.twitter.com/z1qPjLuWUW
— BBC Strictly
Fleur and Vito performed a samba to Hot Hot Hot by Arrow as their judges’ pick.
Their favourite dance was also their couple’s choice routine, performed to a Destiny’s Child megamix, followed by their show dance to Find Me by Sigma featuring Birdy.
After all four couples had danced their three routines, Fleur and Vito were top of the leaderboard, having scored 40, 39 and 40 from the judges.
With a dance this epic, the #Strictly Final was always Fleur and Vito's destiny ? @FleurEast@Vito__Coppolapic.twitter.com/4iOlvkGQMt
— BBC Strictly
Molly and Carlos performed a quickstep to Love On Top by Beyonce as their judges’ pick, their rumba to All The Man That I Need by Whitney Houston as their favourite and finished with a show dance to a mix of Kiss and 1999 – both by Prince.
Partying like it's 1999, Molly and Carlos' Show Dance served us all their strengths from start to finish ? #Strictly@mollyrainfordpic.twitter.com/u1iTlBVjaD
— BBC Strictly
The judging panel - Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas - offered their feedback and scores as guidance only on each of the performances, but it was down to viewers to decide who lifted the coveted glitterball trophy.
Last year’s competition saw Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice crowned the winners of the competition.
