Professional dancer Carlos Gu delivered a raw and tearful confession during the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing grand final, revealing he believes his past "self-centred" attitude cost him a celebrity partner the previous year.
An Emotional On-Air Breakdown
Gu became visibly emotional while reflecting on his partnership with former Lioness Karen Carney. He told host Claudia Winkleman that Carney had fundamentally changed him, stating she was "the best thing I’ve ever had in 2025." The dancer explained his mindset before joining the BBC show, admitting, "I came to Strictly after competitive life, I was self-centered, I was ‘me me me.’"
His voice breaking, Gu connected this past attitude directly to his experience on the 2024 series, where he was not paired with a celebrity. "I’ve been lost for years… no wonder I didn’t get a partner last year because I was not grateful," he confessed. A shocked Winkleman immediately tried to disagree, but Gu insisted on finishing his thought.
A Partnership That Forged Change
Gu credited Carney with teaching him humility and teamwork. "[Karen] taught me how to be a kind, humble person, and for the first time, I learnt how to be a team player. I never used to be a team player, which I am so sad about," he said. Winkleman offered reassurance, telling him, "You’ve always been a team player, and we love you!"
The poignant moment came after the couple had closed the show with a perfect score of 40 for their jive to Blondie's "One Way or Another." They had also received a top score earlier in the night for an Argentine tango set to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' "Red Right Hand."
The End of an Era for Strictly Hosts
The 2025 final was charged with added significance as it marked the last final presented by Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly. The pair, who have fronted the programme together for over a decade, jointly announced their departure in autumn 2025, stating it "feels like the right time."
Daly has been a presenter since the show's inception 21 years ago, while Winkleman joined the main show in 2014 after hosting the companion programme It Takes Two since 2004. Their final episode will be the pre-recorded Christmas special airing on 25 December 2025.
On his BBC Radio 2 show, Daly's husband Vernon Kay paid an emotional tribute, saying, "It’s Tess’s last Strictly on Saturday and I can't say too much because I’m going to get really emotional, but it’s been an amazing 21 years."
Speculation is now rife regarding their replacements, with rumoured names including:
- Zoe Ball
- Alison Hammond
- Rylan Clark
- Stacey Dooley
- Fleur East
The show's future presenting lineup remains one of the biggest questions in British entertainment as it moves into a new chapter.
