Strictly Come Dancing: Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse crowned 2020 winners

The comedian is the oldest contestant to be named Strictly champion
PA
April Roach @aprilroach2819 December 2020

Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse have been crowned the winners of Strictly Come Dancing 2020.

The 55-year-old comedian is the oldest contestant to lift the coveted glitterball trophy and Mabuse is the first Strictly dancer to win two years in a row.

Bailey said to win “feels surreal, it feels extraordinary, it feels wonderful. I never thought that we would get this far”.

He added: “I had the most extraordinary teacher, the most extraordinary dancer, who believed in me right from the beginning and she found something in me, turned me into this, into a dancer.”

Mabuse, who won the title last year with Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher, said: “I think you are amazing, remarkable.

“You just put your heart into everything, you put your soul into everything. You’re in your world but I love your world…

“Thank you for being a friend, a father figure to me, a brother and for this,” she said of the glitterball."

Bailey competed against finalists HRVY and Janette Manrara, Jamie Laing and Karen Hauer, and Maisie Smith and Gorka Marquez.

Bailey and Mabuse performed their popular dance to Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang which went viral earlier on in the series with a million views on Youtube.

They also performed a showdance to Queen’s The Show Must Go On and brought back their week two Quickstep to Bobby Darin’s Talk to the Animals.

The live Strictly Come Dancing final began with reference to a “tough day”, after Christmas plans were scrapped for millions.

Strictly Come Dancing 2020 Ballroom - In pictures

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Co-host Tess Daly told millions of viewers: “If ever people needed cheering up, it’s now.

“After another tough day, we are going to try our very best to keep you entertained with an unforgettable night of dance.”

The BBC’s continuity announcer said Strictly had brought viewers together during difficult months.

“In a year that’s kept us apart, whether you’re watching in Tyne and Wear, Devon, Berkshire or Lincolnshire, we’re all watching BBC One together,” he said.

The Duchess of Cornwall made an appearance on the show. She spoke in a pre-recorded clip about the joy of the BBC show, as part of a video compilation of messages from viewers and celebrities.

Judge Craig Revel Horwood, known for his sharp tongue, referenced the Prime Minister’s announcement, following the rapid spread of the new variant coronavirus.

“In light of the recent news, I’ve decided I’m going to be positive. You may not recognise me,” he said.

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