Chris McCausland Makes History with Strictly Come Dancing Win as First Blind Champion
Chris McCausland claimed Strictly Come Dancing victory on Saturday night (December 14), becoming the first-ever blind contestant to win the BBC show. The 47-year-old comedian, alongside professional partner Dianne Buswell, lifted the iconic Glitterball trophy after a public vote during the show’s milestone 20th anniversary.
The pair triumphed over a competitive final lineup that included actress Sarah Hadland with partner Vito Coppola, Love Island star Tasha Ghouri with dancer Aljaz Skorjanec, and JLS singer JB Gill with Lauren Oakley.
However, the celebratory evening sparked controversy when a critic on X (formerly Twitter) blasted the result, claiming that the “worst dancer” had been crowned champion, reported by the Express.
They wrote: “Worst dancer won again so won’t be watching next year and yes I know it was the public and not blaming you for that. I would be interested to know how you feel about someone winning just because they were blind?”
Strictly’s head judge Shirley Ballas stepped in with a moving response to defend Chris and Dianne’s triumph. Addressing her 100,000 followers, Shirley shared her perspective:
“I have total respect for the viewers’ opinions. Millions voted and everyone has their favorites. For me, they all danced simply brilliant. A huge congratulations to our winners, all our finalists, and to all who took part. I’m waking up feeling happy. Have a beautiful day.”
Many fans also rallied to support Chris, dismissing claims of a sympathy vote. One viewer passionately responded: “That is totally unfair! He didn’t get the sympathy vote – Chris and Dianne earned that glitter ball, through hard work and I thought they were excellent.”
Another wrote: “It isn’t just because he was blind. He was actually a good dancer. Incredible how he learned, and Dianne must have had a really hard task teaching him. They were all great; I would have been happy for any one of them to win.”
After being announced as the winner, Chris shared an emotional message of gratitude and empowerment:
“This is for her (Dianne) and it’s for everyone out there that thought and got told they couldn’t do something. It just shows with opportunity, support, and determination, anything can happen.”
He also praised Dianne’s dedication: “She deserves this so much. She’s just honestly one of the easiest people to be funny with – and unless she changes her number, she’s stuck with me.”
Chris McCausland’s groundbreaking victory serves as an inspiring testament to perseverance, opportunity, and the power of teamwork on Strictly Come Dancing’s historic stage.