Hamza Yassin has waltzed his way into the hearts of the Scottish public over the last six weeks.
We have all been captivated by his cheery smile, light-footed moves and amazing, scene-stealing dreadlocks.
Despite not having his best night in the final on Saturday, he was Strictly’s standout performer over the weeks
and fully deserved to lift the famous Glitterball trophy with his stunning partner, Jowita Pryzystal.
The Record backed the humble wildlife cameraman all the way and, in turn, he made the nation and the residents of his home village proud.
The 32-year-old thanked Scotland for getting him through to the final, saying: “I hope I do you guys proud.”
And that he did. His friends and neighbours in the tiny village of Kilchoan on the Ardnamurchan peninsula celebrated his victory all night long.
Hamza has called the wee village home for the last 13 years and said previously he “truly feels like a Scotsman”. He also vowed never to let the severe dyslexia he was diagnosed with hold him back from achieving success.
He said: “If I can connect with one struggling kid who thinks he or she is not going to be anybody, if that kid can say, ‘Look at Hamza, he has dyslexia but he is living his dream, I’d be happy’.”
And there’s no doubt his hard work and overcoming the odds will have inspired at least some of the younger generation. Despite travelling the world with his work and filming in some of the most beautiful places, he said he’ll always come back to his adopted homeland of Scotland.
And when he does, we’ll be waiting to welcome him with open arms.
Hurry home Hamza – we’re looking forward to you coming back to show off that glitterball.
Don’t sell cheap
Inflation is eating into the Scottish Government’s budget and the public sector is facing another tough year.
Ministers are looking across the multitude of public bodies for efficiencies to free up cash for the frontline.
As we reveal today, the Government is looking at downsizing its office capacity by 40 per cent in a bid to release money.
The logic of this move is sound, as a rise in working from home has made large office blocks look like a relic.
But any downsizing must be carried out in a sensitive manner.
Many city centre businesses depend on office workers and abandoning buildings could impact on the economy.
Selling buildings has its place but it should not be done on the cheap to the first developer who expresses an interest.
The Government must consult the unions and local businesses before making decisions that could affect jobs.
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