Strictly Come Dancing 2024: Who has reached the final?

After being rocked by allegations of bullying and toxicity over the summer, Strictly Come Dancing’s future seemed uncertain.

But, surprisingly, the BBC behemoth has continued to dominate the schedules, captivating viewers with terrific dancer pairings, some surprise eliminations and plenty of fun themes.

Now, it’s finally time for the final. This Saturday, either Chris McCausland, JB Gill, Tasha Ghouri or Sarah Hadland will lift the Glitterball trophy. But who will it be?

Who are the finalists?

Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell

The 47-year-old blind comedian, who hails from Liverpool, has delighted audiences with his humour and dance skills, becoming one of the bookies’ favourites to win with professional partner Dianne Buswell.

Telegraph readers have had exclusive insight to his time in the competition through his weekly diaries, covering everything from meeting Nicole Kidman to getting the thumbs-up from Yoko Ono, his beloved football team Liverpool FC... and dancing like he really needed the toilet.

If they win, it would be a triumphant first for Buswell, who joined Strictly in 2017 and reached the final twice: with Joe Sugg in 2018 and Bobby Brazier in 2023.

JB Gill and Lauren Oakley

JB Gill has put the performance skills he gained through his time in boyband JLS to the test in this year’s Strictly, completing some truly memorable dances – his and professional partner Lauren Oakley’s Paso Doble to Requiem For A Tower by London Music Works being one – and conveying a great sense of fun.

He faced unforeseen challenges, however, after his original partner Amy Dowden was forced to withdraw from the competition on medical grounds.

Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec

The model, dancer and Love Island star became the first of this year’s contestants to receive 10s for her stunning Charleston. She’s a confident dancer with a real knack for bringing passion and flair to the routines, helped in part by the guidance of her professional partner, Aljaž Škorjanec.

Ghouri, who was born deaf, has been praised for being a terrific role model, and could go down in Strictly history as its best ever (non-professional) dancer.

Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola

Actress and comedian Sarah Hadland, best known for her role as Stevie in the hit sitcom Miranda and her part in family favourite Horrible Histories, was lucky enough to be paired up with reigning champion Vito Coppola, who won last year’s competition with Ellie Leach.

Her glitzy costumes, great sense of humour and artistic flair have won her legions of fans amongst the Strictly community.

Who has already left?

Week 12: Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał

The reality star became the 11th contestant to be eliminated after a shock dance-off against judges’ favourite Tasha Ghouri, ending a surprisingly-long run in the competition. “I’ve been quite honest about the fact I didn’t want to do this,” Wicks said. “Everyone else made me do it. I’m so glad I did. I tried my best from day one.”

Week 11: Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe

Fans were left furious in Musicals Week after Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe became the 10th contestants to be eliminated, after surviving the dance-off against perennial bottom-of-the-leaderboard dweller Pete Wicks.

Week 10: Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas

The EastEnders actor and his professional partner, Michelle Tsiakkas, became the ninth couple to leave Strictly after losing the dance-off against Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe.

Week nine: Wynne Evans and Katya Jones

Opera singer Wynne Evans and his pro partner Katya Jones were eliminated in Blackpool after their Charleston failed to clear the hurdles with either viewers or judges.

Week eight: Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu

The former X Factor winner and his professional partner Nancy Xu became the seventh contestants to be eliminated after Shirley Ballas used her casting vote to decide their fate. Ballas instead opted to save Wynne Evans and Katya Jones, who will go onto Blackpool this weekend.

Week seven: Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin

After failing to set the judges or voting public alight with their American Smooth to Taylor Swift’s Love Story, hockey player and Olympian Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin became the sixth contestants to be eliminated from the competition.

Week six: Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez

The TV doctor and her partner Gorka Márquez became the fifth contestants to be eliminated from the competition after landing in the bottom two and losing the dreaded dance-off to Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu.

Week five: Paul Merson and Karen Hauer

The former England and Arsenal footballer and his partner Karen Hauer became the fourth pair to leave the competition after a disappointing dance-off against JLS star JB Gill and pro-Amy Dowden.

Week four: Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk

DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles and his partner Luba Mushtuk became the third pair to be eliminated following a dance off against Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu.

Week three: Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones

The second pairing to get the boot was Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones, after the pair failed to impress the judges or public in the Movie Week showdown with their samba to Poor Unfortunate Souls from The Little Mermaid. Up against Paul Merson and Karen Hauer, who delivered a cheesy but enjoyable cha cha to the theme from cowboy caper The Magnificent Seven, it was evident from the off that their time on the show was numbered.

Week two: Tom Dean and Nadiya Bychkova

First out in dance-off shock – we all assumed wooden Toyah Willcox would get the boot – was three-time Olympic swimming champion Tom Dean, and his professional partner Nadiya Bychkova. Dean made history at Tokyo 2020 as the first British man to win a gold medal for the men’s 200m swim freestyle in more than 100 years; he recently won his third gold at Paris 2024 in the team 4 x 200m freestyle relay. Alas, his prowess in the pool did not translate to the dance floor, where he was as stiff as a board.

Anton du Beke opted to save Tom, but Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas gave their vote to Toyah. “I’ve had the best time [over] the last few weeks and getting to work with Nadiya has been incredible,” Tom said. On the show, Nadiya called Tom “a true gentleman” and appeared to take the result on the chin. However, on Instagram that night, the dancer said: “I really appreciate all the messages but I’m not ready to talk about what happened tonight just yet.”

The Strictly Come Dancing final is on BBC One on Saturday 14 December at 6.30pm