Yahoo News Strictly Come Dancing 2023: Who was crowned the winner?
Strictly's final is approaching
Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola lifted the Glitter Ball trophy this weekend in the Strictly Come Dancing final. They fought off tough competition to win after performing three dances.
The latest series of Strictly played out every week on BBC One and now is available to watch on catch up on BBC iPlayer. It is the first series to debut following the death of former judge Len Goodman in April 2023. The first live show aired on BBC One on Saturday, 23 September from 6.15pm, and the grand final aired on Saturday, 16 December.
Over the series, the celebrity stars' dance experience was under great scrutiny. In particular, the focus was on the talented Layton Williams and his previous dance experience – with former stars revealing their verdict on his ability.
Read more: All the winners and finalists of Strictly
Strictly Come Dancing's winner
Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola
Actor Ellie Leach and her partner Vito Coppola were crowned the winners of 2023. The pro was a runner-up with his first dance partner Fleur East in the 2022 series.
Strictly Come Dancing 2023 finalists
These are the couples who have made the final...
Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin
The 2023 season's same-sex couple is between West End star Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin, the pro was previously paired with Ellie Simmonds and Tilly Ramsay on the show.
Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell
Bobby Brazier stepped onto the dancefloor with Dianne Buswell, and she previously came in second place with her partner Joe Sugg in 2018.
Eliminated couples
Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe
Former professional tennis player Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe were voted out in the semi-finals. Radebe was previously paired with Ellie Taylor in 2022 and was runner-up with John Whaite in 2021.
Nigel Harman and Katya Jones
There was no dance off in the quarter finals after Nigel Harman was injured and unable to continue in the competition with his partner Katya Jones.
Jones was famously paired with Seann Walsh in 2018 and has previously been paired with politician Ed Balls, boxer Nicola Adams and footballer Tony Adams. She lifted the Glitterball Trophy with Joe McFadden in 2017.
Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu
Angela Scanlon and her professional partner Carlos Gu were voted out just narrowly missing out on the semi-final and final. The judges had chosen to save Layton Williams in the dance off. Carlos previously danced with Molly Rainford in 2022 and reached the final.
Angela Rippon CBE and Kai Widdrington
Angela Rippon went out after dancing in Blackpool with her partner Kai Widdrington. Widdrington previously appeared on the programme with AJ Odudu and Kaye Adams. He narrowly missed out on going to the final in his first year with a celebrity partner, but sadly Odudu suffered an injury that meant she had to pull out of the competition in 2021.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lauren Oakley (eliminated seventh)
Newscaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy was paired with Lauren Oakley. It marked the first time that Lauren has been given a dance partner on the show since she joined in. Unfortunately the couple just missed out on the iconic Blackpool's Tower Ballroom.
Adam Thomas and Luba Mushtuk (eliminated 6th)
Actor Adam Thomas learnt to dance thanks to his professional partner Luba Mushtuk. Mushtuk hasn't had a partner for the past two series but was previously paired with Jason Bell and James Cracknell.
Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima (eliminated 5th)
Former Love Island star Zara McDermott was partnered with Graziano Di Prima, who was previously partnered with Kym Marsh in the 2022 series. Di Prima has not won the show with one of his celebrity dance partners yet.
Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice
Sherlock star Amanda Abbington was performing alongside Giovanni Pernice, who previously won the series with Rose Ayling-Ellis for the 2021 edition of the show. However, she exited the show in October citing health reasons. Pernice was paired with Richie Anderson in the 2022 who was eliminated early in the competition.
Les Dennis and Nancy Xu - Eliminated first
Les Dennis appeared on the show with Nancy Xu, who has been paired with Rhys Stephenson and Will Mellor in the past. They were the first couple to leave the series after the second live show.
Nikita Kanda and Gorka Marquez - Eliminated second
Radio presenter Nikita Kanda and her partner Gorka Marquez were the second pair to be eliminated. Marquez was paired with Helen Skelton in 2022 and has been partners with Maisie Smith and Alexandra Burke in the past – with all three reaching the final of their respective series. Sadly, Marquez couldn't repeat his magic, and they were eliminated second.
Jody Cundy CBE and Jowita Przystal — Eliminated third
Paralympian Jody Cundy was paired with Jowita Przystal, who won the series with Hamza Yassin in 2022, it was her first season with a celebrity dance partner. They were eliminating after week three.
Eddie Kadi and Karen Hauer - Eliminated fourth
Eddie Kadi danced alongside Karen Hauer on Strictly, who is the longest-serving professional dancer on the line-up. She was previously partnered with Jayde Adams in 2022. They were eliminated in October.
Strictly Come Dancing professionals
There are four professionals who were not given a professional partner this year, South African dancer Cameron Lombard, Latin dance champion Michelle Tsiakkas, Ukrainian dancer Nadiya Bychkova, and Neil Jones, who is four-time undefeated British national professional champion. Amy Dowden has also had to pull out of this year's edition of Strictly following her breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
Who are the judges on the new series of Strictly Come Dancing?
Sitting at the judges' table for this year’s series are the lightning-fast Craig Revel Horwood, the award-winning Anton Du Beke and Motsi Mabuse, host of Let’s Dance Germany.
Together, they will be joined by The Queen of Latin, Shirley Ballas, as the show’s head judge. As any Strictly fan will no doubt know, each of these adjudicators will have their eagle eyes locked on every misstep and foot out of place - making them very difficult to impress.
Who hosts Strictly Come Dancing 2023?
Returning Strictly Come Dancing hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly are the familiar duo who have fronted the show and helped calm celebrity nerves since 2014. Meanwhile, former contestant Fleur East joins new mum and ex-pro cast member Janette Manrara to host spin-off show Strictly: It Takes Two.
