With this year’s Strictly Come Dancing contestants starting to be announced, we’ve taken a look back at the winners of the last 19 series and their most memorable moments.
Many celebrities have taken to the dancefloor guided by their professional partners over the years. Where some failed to impress with their footwork, others went on to become exceptional dancers.
Not only has Strictly welcomed many famous faces onto the floor, an array of hosts and judges have appeared on the show. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly fronted the show for a number of years, before Claudia Winkleman replaced Brucey in 2014.
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As for the judges, Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Toniloli, Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips, Alesha Dixon, Darcey Bussell, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke have all taken a seat at the panel over the last 19 years.
Below are all of the celebrities who have lifted the glitterball trophy, their professional partners and their most memorable moments. Who is your all-time favourite Strictly winner? Let us know in the comments section below.
Series 1 - Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole (2004)
The first series of Strictly Come Dancing began in May 2004, with the very first winner being crowned in July. BBC newsreader and journalist, Natasha Kaplinsky, who’s now an OBE, was the first celebrity to be crowned victorious.
Natasha was partnered with New Zealand ballroom dancer Brendan Cole. They were the first couple to ever score a perfect 10 on the show, which they received for their Samba to ‘Love Is In The Air’ in week five. It was also their highest-marked dance of the series, scoring 37/40.
Series 2 - Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett (2004)
We didn’t have to wait long for series two of Strictly, as it began only a few months after the first competition ended. Actor and EastEnders star Jill Halfpenny became the second winner of the show in December 2004.
Jill was partnered with English dancer Darren Bennett who specialised in Latin. Their Jive in the final to Elton John’s ‘I’m Still Standing’ earned a place in the history books, as it was the first ever Strictly routine to score a perfect 40.
Series 3 - Darren Gough and Lilia Kopylova (2005)
England cricketer Darren Gough was quite the dark horse of series three, as he and his partner, Russian dancer Lilia Kopylova, lifted the glitterball trophy without ever topping the leaderboard.
The couple received their first 10 in the final for their Foxtrot to ‘Big Spender’. Darren earned a place in the Strictly history books as the very first male winner.
Series 4 - Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy (2006)
Following in Darren’s footsteps, fellow cricketer Mark Ramprakash won series four of Strictly with his partner, British ballroom dancer Karen Hardy. Before they got their hands on the trophy, though, they had some unforgettable moments.
In week five, the couple’s Salsa to ‘Hot Hot Hot’ didn’t quite go to plan when Mark’s microphone cable became entangled with Karen’s dress. Karen stopped the routine and they were allowed to start again after detangling themselves.
The second attempt was worth it, as they scored 9s across the board. Mark and Karen were also the only couple during the fourth series to score a perfect 40 which was for the same Salsa routine that they chose to dance again in the final.
Series 5 - Alesha Dixon and Matthew Cutler (2007)
When Alesha Dixon appeared on series five of Strictly, she was best known for being a singer and member of the girl group Mis-Teeq. Alesha was partnered with English dancer Matthew Cutler, and it was their Cha Cha Cha to Beyonce’s ‘Crazy In love’ in week 8 that became iconic.
They scored 39 points for the routine, which remained their highest mark of the series. They also danced a beautiful Waltz to ‘A Time For Us’ in the final, which also scored them 39. Just two years after lifting the trophy, Alesha swapped the dancefloor for the judging panel, where she replaced Arlene Phillips.
Series 6 - Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup (2008)
Despite finishing bottom of the leaderboard in the final of series 6 of Strictly, Holby City’s Tom Chambers and Danish ballroom dancer Camilla Dallerup were victorious. However, before we even got to the final, there was a little bit of drama during the semi-final vote.
As there was a tie at the top of the leaderboard, it made it mathematically impossible for Tom and Camilla to avoid the dance-off. Because of this, all three couples were sent through to the final, with the public votes rolling over.
Tom and Camilla arguably saved their best till last, as their freestyle showdance (which wasn’t scored) wowed everybody. It was their final chance to encourage the public to vote for them, and it certainly worked.
Series 7 - Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan (2009)
Series 7 saw Alesha Dixon join the judging panel for the first time, replacing Arlene Phillips. It was the year BBC Breakfast sport presenter Chris Hollins and his professional partner Ola Jordan danced their way to victory.
The couple’s Charleston was arguably not only their best dance, but the best routine of the series. Chris and Ola scored a perfect 40 for their performance. Despite Chris’ fellow contestant Ricky Whittle scoring more than him in the final, Chris and Ola went on to lift the glitterball trophy.
Series 8 - Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev (2010)
For series 8, the Strictly set had a makeover, as the backstage room where the scores were given was replaced by the tower above the dancefloor where the couples could watch their fellow competitors dance. EastEnders star Kara Tointon became an early favourite to win the competition with Latin dancer Artem Chigvintsev, as not only did Kara impress with her dance moves, rumours of a romance between the pair meant the public rooted for them even more.
Kara and Artem went on to beat Matt Baker and Pamela Stephenson in the all-important final, despite never scoring a perfect 40. However, their Rumba routine and Viennese Waltz earned them two very respectable scores of 39. It was Artem’s very first year on Strictly.
Series 9 - Harry Judd and Aliona Vilani (2011)
McFly’s Harry Judd and his partner Aliona Vilani impressed the judges and the public throughout series 9. The couple received perfect 40s for two of their dances during the series - the Quickstep and the Argentine Tango.
There was no unexpected winner this year, as Harry and Aliona scored the highest in the final and won the most votes from the public, beating fellow finalists Chelsee Healey and Jason Donovan to the glitterball trophy. It wasn’t the only time Aliona won Strictly - continue reading to find out more…
Series 10 - Louis Smith and Flavia Cacace (2012)
Series 10 saw Darcey Bussell replace Alesha Dixon on the judging panel. We all knew Louis Smith would be a brilliant Strictly competitor due to his gymnastic background, and he certainly didn’t disappoint.
Partnered with Flavia Cacace, it was their showdance routine that stood out from the rest. Cleverly choreographed to showcase Louis’ gymnast abilities, the routine to ‘Rule The World’ by Take That scored 40. Although Denise Van Outen received the highest overall score in the final from the judges and Kimberley Walsh received equal marks to Louis, the gymnast and Flavia went on to be victorious.
Series 11 - Abbey Clancy and Aljaž Skorjanec (2013)
For series 11, Strictly moved into the iconic George Lucas Stage 2 at Elstree studios. Consequently, the show had a completely new look to fit the much larger studio. Model and TV presenter Abbey Clancy and her professional partner Aljaž Skorjanec continually blew the judges and the public away with their ballroom routines, so it was no surprise that they won the whole series.
The pair scored a perfect 40 twice for their Salsa routine to ‘You Should Be Dancing’ from Saturday Night Fever and their Waltz in the final to ‘Kissing You’ by Des'ree. Abbey and Aljaž also got the highest Samba mark of the competition (39) and the best Quickstep score (38).
Series 12 - Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev (2014)
Following Bruce Forsyth’s departure after series 11, Claudia Winkleman joined Tess Daly as host of Strictly. TV presenter Caroline Flack was partnered with Russian ballroom and Latin dancer Pasha Kovalev. The couple’s Charleston, which scored a perfect 40, will forever be in the Strictly history books for being one of the show’s best.
It’s no surprise Caroline and Pasha were crowned the winners, as the pair scored 40s for all three of their routines in the final. Caroline holds the record for the most 40s scored by a contestant which was equalled by series 14 runner-up, Danny Mac.
Series 13 - Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani (2015)
The Wanted’s Jay McGuiness gave partner Aliona Vilani her second glitterball trophy. It was arguably the couple’s Jive during Movies Week that made people fall in love with the pair. Undoubtedly their best performance, Jay and Aliona’s jive saw the pair perfectly capture the characters and moves from the iconic Pulp Fiction dance scene.
However, they only received a score of 37 - much to the surprise of the public. Jay and Aliona were the second couple to win the glitterball trophy without ever scoring a perfect 40.
Series 14 - Ore Oduba and Joanne Clifton (2016)
Series 14 also saw an iconic Jive routine, this time from BBC sports presenter Ore Oduba and his partner Joanne Clifton. They scored 39 for their Jive to Bruno Mars’ ‘Runaway Baby’ in week four, but achieved the perfect 40 when they danced the routine again in the final.
Ore topped the leaderboard in the final, scoring two 40s and 39 for his last three dances in the Strictly ballroom. He became the first winner to have competed in the bottom two more than once during a series.
Series 15 - Joe McFadden and Katya Jones (2017)
Series 15 saw a change to the show’s format with there now being no elimination in the final, allowing there to be three runner-up couples. Shirley Ballas also joined the judging line-up as head judge, following Len Goodman’s departure from the show.
Holby City has quite the talented cast, with Joe McFadden becoming the show’s second star to win Strictly. Partnered with Katya Jones, Joe got better as the weeks went on. Their Charleston routine dressed as toy soldiers received top marks and remains iconic. Despite Alexandra Burke and Gorka Márquez receiving two perfect 40s in the final compared to Joe and Katya’s one, the latter pair went on to lift the glitterball trophy.
Series 16 - Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton (2018)
Three new styles of dance were added to the competition in series 16 of Strictly. Contemporary, Theatre/Jazz and Street/Commercial were brought in as part of the new category, ‘Couple’s Choice’.
TV presenter Stacey Dooley was partnered with Kevin Clifton, and it’s more than likely you currently have an image of them dressed as Minions in your head. This is because the pair danced their week three Jive dressed up as the iconic characters from Despicable Me 2 to the film’s soundtrack ‘Happy’ by Pharrell, which scored them 32.
Although fellow finalists Ashley Roberts and Faye Tozer received three 40s each in the all-important final, Stacey and Kevin were victorious, prompting A LOT of screaming and cheering!
Series 17 - Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse (2019)
With Darcey Bussell stepping down as a judge on the show, Mosti Mabuse took a seat at the judging panel for the first time. It prompted quite the reaction from viewers, due to Motsi’s sister Oti being a professional dancer on the show.
Motsi picked a good year to join, though, as she witnessed firsthand her sister lifting the glitterball trophy with Emmerdale’s Kelvin Fletcher. It’s crazy to think that Kelvin wasn’t originally supposed to be on the show, with him being brought in to replace Jamie Laing who injured himself before the competition had properly got underway.
The couple had a brilliant time, constantly impressing the judges and the public. It was Kelvin and Oti’s Quickstep to ‘The Lady is a Tramp’ in the final that earned them the perfect 40 at last.
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Series 18 – Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse (2020)
Series 18 of Strictly is memorable for a number of reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Bruno Tonioli couldn’t carry out his role as judge due to travel restrictions, and the show was shorter than usual with only nine episodes. The series also saw Anton Du Beke temporarily join the judging panel for the first time.
Most notably, it saw a professional dancer win back-to-back competitions for the very first time when comedian Bill Bailey gave Oti Mabuse her second glitterball trophy. I think it’s safe to say that nobody expected Bill to be as incredible as he was.
Bill and Oti’s Couple’s Choice dance to Rapper’s Delight quickly became one of the most iconic routines to ever be performed on the Strictly dance floor. It scored a top mark of 30 (there were only three judges) and Bill went on to make history as he became the oldest winner of Strictly at 55 years old.
Series 19 - Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice (2021)
In the year Anton Du Beke became a full-time judge on the show, EastEnders’ Rose Ayling-Ellis made Strictly history as the first deaf person to compete on the show. She had the perfect partner in Giovanni Pernice, with the couple capturing the hearts of the nation with their dancing.
Rose and Giovanni impressed the judges with a number of routines which scored a perfect 40, but their most memorable performance has to be their moving Couple’s Choice routine. The pair danced to Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson’s ‘Symphony’ which included a silent segment, a tribute to the deaf community.
Who will win Strictly Come Dancing 2022 and become the 20th celebrity to lift the glitterball trophy? Only time will tell!
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