Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman open their last ever Strictly show

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have opened their last ever Strictly Come Dancing live show.

The duo, who announced they would step down as hosts of the BBC hit in October, emotionally welcomed viewers to this year’s finale.

While it will be an emotional night for the pair, remaining stars Amber Davies, George Clarke and Karen Carney are all competing to lift the iconic Glitterball Trophy.  

Claudia wore her trademark black jacket with a white blouse and revealed how ‘keep dancing’ had been stitched onto the back – a nod to her and Tess’ famous slogan.

Tess opted for a stunning rose-gold sequined dress that featured a daring thigh-high slit and shoulderless design. 

Opening the show, the pair emotionally said: ‘Thanks to our cast and choreographer Jason Gilkison for that spectacular opening to the show, and thank you for joining us for one glorious last night in the ballroom.

‘Back in September, 15 celebrities took to the dance floor, and after one. Of our most exciting competitions ever, just three remain.

‘Amber, George, and Karen are your finalists, and tonight you decide who will be crowned strictly champions.’

Amber opened the show with her pro partner Nikita, performing a Paso Doble that was picked by head judge Shirley Ballas.

Following the dance, to Dream On by Aerosmith, the judges gave the couple 39 out of 40 – with Craig Revel Horwood’s nine stopping them from achieving a perfect score. 

Up next was George and Alexis and their Viennese Waltz, dancing to Queen’s Somebody to Love.

Their judges’ choice was picked by Anton D Beke. 

Just like his scoring with Amber, Craig was reluctant to award a 10, despite Mosti, Shirley and Anton dishing out 10s so far. With Craig’s nine, George’s judges’ choice was scored 39 out of 40. 

Motsi Mabuse chose Karen and Carlos’ Tango to Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.

The pair’s dance, inspired by Peaky Blinders as the former footballer revealed she was a huge fan, bagged the first perfect score of the night. 

After outfit changes, the finale was taken up a notch as Amber and Nikita returned to the dance floor to perform their showdance.

They performed to Rain On Me by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande.

Amber was scored 39 out of 40, with Craig once again holding her back from perfect marks, over minor details in the dance that he said felt like ‘a series of tricks’. 

George and Alexis danced to Human by The Killers, with Shirley Ballas telling the social media star he’s gone from ‘zero to hero’.

The pair scored 39 out of 40 for their showdance. 

Despite scoring the first perfect score of the night, Karen and Carlos placed bottom of the leaderboard following their showdance.

The duo were marked 38 out of 40, with Craig remarking how their performance felt ‘lackluster’ at points, before giving them an eight.

Performing her last ever Strictly dance, and starting off the Favourite Dances, Amber and Nikita Jived to Proud Mary by Tina Turner.

Their flawless dance earned them a perfect 40 points from the judges. 

Dancing for their last time, George and Alexis wowed with a Paso Doble to Game of Survival by Ruelle.

Wrapping up the performances of the night was Karen and Carlos with their Jive to Blondie’s One Way or Another.

The performance was a nod to Karen’s sporting background, as they donned a sequined football kit.

Upstairs, Carlos broke down in tears as he told Claudia how he wasn’t a team player before meeting Karen – blaming that on the reason he was left without a partner last year. He paid tribute to Karen for changing him as he wiped away his tears. 

In emotional scenes, the pair were overjoyed as they scored a perfect 40. 

Tess has fronted the Strictly for a mammoth 21 years and 216 days, and was awarded a Guinness World Record for the longest-serving host of the same dance competition earlier this week. 

The host as been part of the series since it’s very first episode back in 2004 where she presented alongside the late Bruce Forsyth.

Sir Bruce – who died in 2017 – starred alongside her until his retirement in 2013, when Claudia then took over.

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