BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Tess Daly speaks out as show dealt blow after winners crowned

Tess Daly has expressed her thoughts after the show appeared to take a hit following the crowning of this year's Strictly Come Dancing champions. Tess, who announced Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell as this season's victors, witnessed the pair claim the title on Saturday night (December 14) during the grand final of the BBC One dance contest's 2024 series.

They faced fierce competition but ultimately lifted the coveted Glitterball trophy.

Chris, making history as Strictly's first-ever blind contestant, was partnered with the Australian professional dancer for the show’s 20th-anniversary series starting in September. Over 13 weeks of performances, and after three months of winning over the nation, they were triumphant, securing their spot as the winners.

The duo outdanced their fellow finalists—Tasha Ghouri with Aljaz Skorjanec, JB Gill matched with Lauren Oakley, and Sarah Hadland partnered with Vito Coppola—to clinch victory in the 22nd series.

Following the eagerly anticipated final, Tess quickly posted on Instagram a picture featuring herself, co-host Claudia Winkleman, and the winning couple, captioning it: "The biggest congratulations to our INCREDIBLE winners @chrismccauslandcomedy @diannebuswell SO well deserved.", reports the Manchester Evening News.

"I am absolutely in AWE of what they have achieved and in love with them both. Thank you so much for watching. We could not do this show without you being along for the ride. In my humble opinion that was the greatest final we have done in 20 years of the show. Thank you so much for being a part of it."

Tess Daly, the host of Strictly Come Dancing, has shared another update on her Instagram Story. She posted a photo of this year's winners and expressed: "Thank you so much to everyone that tuned into our Strictly final last Saturday! It had the highest audience share in our 20-year history and I think @chrismccauslandcomedy @diannebuswell really embodied the spirit of the show."

However, despite the success of the 2024 series, the popular dance programme experienced a decline in its ratings for the third consecutive year.

Last year, the show's viewership peaked at 9.7 million, while this year it didn't attract as many fans, peaking at 9.3 million. The average viewership for the 2023 series was 8.8 million, but this year it fell to 8.6 million.

The 2024 series started off slow, with the live show attracting 7.1 million fans, a significant drop from 7.8 million the previous year. Despite these changes, it was revealed at the time of its latest launch that Strictly remains the most-watched programme on Saturday nights.