Right! We’ve seen the first dances of the Class of 2023 on Strictly Come Dancing and you will probably already have thoughts on who is A+ and who ‘Could Do Better’. Watching the show set us thinking about past series and first impressions and end results.
Who is your favourite ever winner of Strictly Come Dancing? And which celebrity do you believe to have been the best performer on the show? In this article, we look back at the 20 celebs who have won the coveted glitterball and rank them from best to worst!
Taking part in Strictly Come Dancing has had a huge impact in the careers of television presenters, actors, musicians and even politicians. Some won over the public with their impassioned performances, while others gained notoriety for having two left feet!
Looking back through the 20 past winners, one thing becomes clear: to win Strictly you need more than just coordination and a sense of rhythm; the champions of the past all brought some other key ingredients, such as style, charm, personality and pizzazz!
As you get ready for the 21st series of the hit BBC show, why not peruse our list of past winners. The celeb we rated most highly is at the top, and you can scroll all the way to the bottom to find out which winner we felt was lucky to be a champion!
Let us know in the comments who would be your best and worst Strictly Come Dancing winner of the past.
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1. Kara Tointon – Series 8, 2010
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EastEnders actress Kara Tointon might only have been up against the likes of hapless MP Anne Widdecombe in the 2010 series of Strictly Come Dancing, but she nevertheless put on a stunning performance to win the show. As well as a remarkable talent for everything from ballroom to Latin dance routines, Kara shared an undeniable chemistry with her dance partner Artem Chigvintsev, which led to a televised kiss when they emerged as series winners. Indeed, the pair went on to date for four years before splitting up in 2014. Meanwhile, Kara’s career has seen her take up roles in popular shows such as Lewis, Mr Selfridge, and The Sound of Music Live.
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2. Jill Halfpenny – Series 2, 2004
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Joining Kara near the top of our rankings is fellow EastEnder Jill Halfpenny, whose jive to Elton John’s I’m Still Standing went down in Strictly history as Jill and her dance partner Darren Bennett scored a perfect 40 for the first time in the show’s history. Jill and Darren’s showstopping performance was so popular that they were invited to revive it at the Royal Variety Performance at the London Coliseum, and the pair then went on to be crowned Champions of Champions in a special one-off Christmas edition of Strictly. Jill, whose career started with a role in hit teen drama Byker Grove, followed up her 187-episode spell on EastEnders with roles in Waterloo Road, Humans, Dark Money and Inside No. 9.
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3. Alesha Dixon – Series 5, 2007
Mis-Teeq singer Alesha Dixon broke the record for the highest average score by a Strictly Come Dancing champion when she won series 5 in 2007, wowing the judges with her style, charm, charisma and incredible dance moves. Alesha and her partner Matthew Cutler beat actor Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace in the final, delivering a performance that received a staggering 4.5 million votes. Becoming a champion elevated Alesha’s career, and record labels were fighting over her before she released The Alesha Show in November 2008 on Asylum Records. She scored top 10 hits with The Boy Does Nothing and Breathe Slow, and has since continued her solo career as well as landing jobs as a judge on America’s Got Talent: The Champions, and as a host at the Eurovision Song Contest.
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4. Ore Oduba – Series 14, 2016
With an average score of 35.7, Children’s BBC presenter Ore Oduba fought off tough competition from Hollyoaks actor Danny Mac to win series 14 of Strictly, consistently impressing the judges with his highly animated dancing style and evocative use of facial expressions. Ore’s jive to Runaway Baby by Bruno Mars was a big hit, as was his toe-tapping performance to Singin’ in The Rain. Appearing on the show certainly seemed to do Ore’s TV career no harm, as the London-born presenter who started his life on screen with children’s news show Newsround went on to present This Morning, BBC Sport highlights programmes and even the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
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5. Caroline Flack – Series 12, 2014
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The late Caroline Flack was a natural on the dancefloor and she earned four perfect scores in a row as she dazzled along with her partner Pasha Kovalev, becoming the first contestant to receive three perfect 40s in the final. Her average score of 35.2 will ensure she remains one of the best contestants to appear on the show, but her style and pizzazz while performing a breathtaking Charleston had to be seen to be fully appreciated. After appearing on Strictly, TV presenter Caroline went on to host the X Factor, starred in several West End musicals and presented Love Island before her life was cut tragically short when she took her own life amid intense public scrutiny following charges of assault on her boyfriend.
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6. Harry Judd – Series 9, 2011
Image credit: BBC
McFly drummer Harry Judd enjoyed a hugely successful pop career for eight years before he joined series nine of Strictly Come Dancing in 2011, having won a special episode of Strictly for Children in Need the previous year. Dancing with partner Aliona Vilani, Harry’s performances consistently landed him in the top half of the leaderboard and he received the highest score of series nine when he collected 46 out of 47 available points. McFly fans enjoyed seeing Harry’s strapping muscles as much as they did his dance moves, and after the show he continued to enjoy success with McFly as well as performing in the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing Underwater for Sport Relief in 2012.
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7. Abbey Clancy – Series 11, 2013
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Up against the likes of Susanna Reid and Natalie Gumede as well as Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Patrick Robinson, model Abbey Clancy did superbly well to fend off such tough competition and win series 11 of Strictly Come Dancing with an average score of 35.6. She oozed confidence every time she took to the dancefloor with partner Aljaz Skorjanec, with whom she shared a natural chemistry, and anyone who witnessed her salsa to You Should Be Dancing from Saturday Night Fever will attest to her talents. Since Strictly, Abbey has presented the show that launched her career, Britain’s Next Top Model, and she has had her own show, Abbey Clancy’s Celebrity Homes, by ITV.
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8. Mark Ramprakash – Series 4, 2006
Following in the footsteps of fellow cricketer Darren Gough who won Strictly the previous year, former England batsman Mark Ramprakash danced his way to success with partner Karen Hardy. Ramprakash was at the peak of his sporting prowess when he appeared on the show, having proven himself as one of the most prolific batsmen in county cricket, and he could have passed for a professional dancer when he performed a salsa to Hot Hot Hot in the final. Ramps topped the leaderboard multiple times and became the first celebrity to score a perfect 40 in series 4. After becoming a Strictly champion, he returned to his cricket career but did come back to the dancefloor in 2008 for a special edition of Strictly that he won, dancing a samba with fellow Strictly champion Kara Tointon.
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9. Louis Smith – Series 10, 2012
Being an Olympic gymnast can be a useful aid when attempting to win Strictly Come Dancing, and so it proved for Louis Smith who arrived on the show fresh from winning a silver medal at the London Olympic Games just months earlier. After a somewhat patchy start, Smith’s dances started to receive higher and higher scores and he topped the leaderboard for the first time after performing a tango, then did so again with a Charleston. Louis and his partner Flavia Cacace were up against stiff competition in the form of trained dancer Denise Van Outen, but after they prevailed Louis said: “It was brilliant. The training was harder than gymnastics as everything was a new challenge. I never expected to win – I just went out every week with the aim of doing my best.”
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10. Natasha Kaplinsky – Series 1, 2004
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Back in 2004, nobody could have known quite how popular the BBC’s new dance competition Strictly Come Dancing would become, and it was quite fitting that the very first series was won by the BBC’s very own newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky. Back then, the show had yet to develop its now rigorously high standards of dance performances, but Natasha nevertheless delivered some outstanding dances that still stand the test of time. Along with her partner Brendan Cole, Natasha scored highly with a samba to Love Is in The Air and followed that up with a sensational rumba to Endless Love. The pair clinched glory with a showdance to (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life from the film Dirty Dancing. Having danced her way into the nation’s hearts, Natasha went on to become the youngest woman to present the BBC’s Ten O’Clock News.
11. Kelvin Fletcher – Series 17, 2019
Image credit: BBC
Famous for playing Andy Sugden in Emmerdale but also an accomplished model, presenter and motor racing driver, Kelvin Fletcher came close to setting a new high average score when he and dance partner Oti Mabuse racked up an average of 36.4 to win series 17. Kelvin’s rugged good looks and the sizzling chemistry he shared with Oti helped him rise from rank outsider to champion after he only joined the show as a replacement for Jamie Laing who had to pull out with a foot injury. Since his success on Strictly, Oldham-born Kelvin has left Emmerdale and appeared in shows like Death in Paradise, Moving On, and The Teacher.
12. Darren Gough – Series 3, 2005
Still laying a strong claim to being the celebrity who improved most during the course of a single series of Strictly Come Dancing is former England and Yorkshire cricketer Darren Gough, who partnered with Lilia Kopylova in series three and won the show despite never achieving a top score. While his average of 31.2 does not put him in the top echelon of Strictly’s past winners, fast bowler Darren won over viewers by proving himself to be lighter on his feet than anyone expected and committing himself to the adventure of Strictly with perhaps more guts and gumption than many of his peers. His appearance on the show helped to boost his media career, and after he retired from cricket in 2008 he went on to become a presenter on TalkSport, presenting the afternoon drive-time show with Adrian Durham.
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13. Bill Bailey – Series 18, 2020
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The only comedian to have ever won Strictly Come Dancing, Bill Bailey brought a huge amount of fun and humour to the show and these qualities helped to compensate for the flaws in his performances on the dancefloor. Being paired with Oti Mabuse also did Bill’s chances no harm and he helped her to become the first dancer to win Strictly two years in a row, all while cheering the nation up during a tough old year in 2020. Bill was 55 at the time of his win, making him the oldest contestant to win Strictly, and his performances to Queen’s The Show Must Go On and Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang had people at home cheering for more.
14. Jay McGuiness – Series 13, 2015
Image credit: Guy Levy/BBC/PA
Professional dancer Aliona Vilani picked up the second win of her Strictly Come Dancing career when she was paired with Jay McGuiness, a singer from the pop band The Wanted. The moment that seemed to clinch it for Jay was his jive to You Never Can Tell from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, which has since racked up more than 7 million views on YouTube! Jay might not have always won the warmest reviews from the judges, but his army of fans and his rock solid performances on the dancefloor ensured he came away victorious.
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15. Joe McFadden – Series 15, 2017
Image credit: Guy Levy/BBC/PA
Known for his roles in Holby City, Heartbeat and Take the High Road, actor Joe McFadden was by no means the most talented celebrity dancer to have a crack at Strictly Come Dancing, but he had the charm and the style to win over the country. Dancing at the age of 42, Joe showed no signs of slowing up as he twirled dance partner Katya Jones all the way into a final in which they were up against Alexandra Burke, Debbie McGee and Gemma Atkinson. Alexandra delivered three perfect scores and ended up 2.7 points ahead of Joe’s average, but his popularity among the public steered him to glory.
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16. Rose Ayling-Ellis – Series 19, 2021
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EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis seemed to glide through series 19 of Strictly Come Dancing with remarkable grace as she struck up a winning partnership with Giovanni Pernice. Rose was an inspiration to deaf viewers of the show, and after bagging the earliest perfect score of 40 in the show’s history for her tango during week eight of the series, she went on to perform Couple’s Choice dance with Giovanni that included a period of silence to help all viewers understand what it is like to dance to music as a deaf person. Judge Anton Du Beke called that “the greatest thing I’ve ever seen on the show”. Rose described her experience of music, saying: “I have a hearing aid, so I pick up some of the music and I can hear the beat. I can hear someone singing, but I can’t identify exact words. I also feel the vibrations.”
17. Hamza Yassin – Series 20, 2022
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Last year’s winner Hamza Yassin described winning Strictly Come Dancing as “the best thing that has ever happened to me” after he partnered with Jowita Przystal and beat Molly Rainford, Fleur East and Helen Skelton in the final. Hamza, whose television presenting career has included Countryfile, The Animal Park and Let’s Go For A Walk, performed several ambitious lifts during his march to victory and won over the hearts of viewers with his memorable salsa to Ecuador by Sash! and his showdance to Let’s Face The Music and Dance by Irving Berlin. After winning, he paid tribute to his partner, saying: “I want to thank one person in particular. Jowita – you are an angel disguised in a human being.”
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18. Stacey Dooley – Series 16, 2018
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Sometimes it’s not the best dancers who prevail on Strictly Come Dancing, but the contestants who viewers find they can really relate to. That was very much the case with series 16 winner and TV presenter Stacey Dooley, who fended off competition from the likes of professional dancer Ashley Roberts to win in her very own down-to-earth style. There was nothing down-to-earth about the chemistry between Dooley and her dance partner Kevin Clifton, however, and the pair became an item after the show. This year they welcomed their baby girl named Minnie into the world!
19. Tom Chambers – Series 6, 2008
Tom Chambers is a reliably good actor in shows like Holby City, Casualty, Waterloo Road and Father Brown, and reliably good pretty much describes the performances that helped him to win series six of Strictly Come Dancing. There was nothing spectacular about Tom’s dances, but he is a bit of a heartthrob and the public certainly took a shine to him as he and partner Camilla Dallerup won with an average score of 34.5.
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20. Chris Hollins – Series 7, 2009
Despite being bottom of our list of Strictly Come Dancing’s past winners and the owner of the unfortunate title of lowest-scoring finalist of the series, BBC Breakfast presenter Chris Hollins is nevertheless a champion after viewers took him to their hearts and voted him to glory. Chris brought a lot of spirit and commitment to his performances, and he was helped immensely by the talents of his partner Ola Jordan, but still emerged with an average score of 30.9 – the record lowest average judges score of any Strictly Come Dancing winner. But try telling that to Chris, who won fair and square with his upbeat personality and enthusiastic performances, before going on to present Cash in The Attic, Watchdog and Secret Britain.
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