Chris McCausland’s dance partner ‘overwhelmed by kindness’ after Strictly win

Strictly Come Dancing winner Dianne Buswell has said she is “so overwhelmed with the kindness of people” after lifting the glitterball trophy with comedian Chris McCausland at the weekend.

The pair won the public vote and made Strictly history as McCausland became the first blind winner in the BBC One show’s 20-year history.

It was the first win for Buswell, who made it to the final with social media star Joe Sugg in 2018, and EastEnders actor and model Bobby Brazier in 2023.

She wrote on Instagram on Sunday, saying she is “forever grateful for the friendship I have gained in such an incredible person (Chris)”, and also wrote to fans: “I’m still so overwhelmed with the kindness of people and the support you have shown us throughout this whole thing thank you all so so much.”

Buswell’s parents travelled from Australia to watch her in the studio, and she said that them seeing her lift the glitterball trophy was “just magical”.

“This really was a moment that I’ll never forget in my life,” she said.

Praising her partner McCausland, she recalled that the 47-year-old comedian, born in Liverpool, started the competition having never listened to the show, and she had to change her teaching style from being “visually” based.

“It blew my mind even more when I actually started to explain things out loud, I had so much more appreciation for everything,” Buswell wrote.

“My teaching style was 90% visual, I wouldn’t want to teach in a room without mirrors because it was the way I perfected things.

“With Chris we had to find different ways of making it work. And this is what Chris is brilliant at, he is a problem solver and he taught me to think outside the box.

“Just because there’s an obstacle in the way doesn’t mean you can’t get to the destination successfully. I am forever grateful for the friendship I have gained in such an incredible person, he says I changed his life but likewise I see things in a different way now and I’m forever grateful.”

On Saturday night, McCausland dedicated his triumph to Buswell, and “for everyone out there that thought and got told they couldn’t do something”.

The comedian and actor lost his sight completely by the age of 22 due to retinitis pigmentosa – a hereditary eye disease which causes gradual degeneration of the retina.

Fellow finalist Tasha Ghouri congratulated McCausland on Instagram, saying “you deserve to lift that trophy so much, since day one you have shown you are unstoppable”.

The reality star and model, 26, who was the show’s second deaf contestant and wears a cochlear implant, also reflected on her own journey.

She said: “To my younger Tasha.. we did it. We lived a dream we dreamt of for a long, long time.

“We never gave up believing and chasing that dream. We danced every week with a smile on our face, we danced with our heart and never gave up. We did have a journey on this show but that’s what made it beautiful.

“I’m proud of us! I hope this sends a message to you all to keep going, never give up and anything is possible.”

Last year, the show saw an average of 8.8 million viewers for the live show, with a peak audience of 9.7 million.

The BBC’s overnight viewing figures revealed a peak audience of 9.6 million for the end of the 2024 Strictly main series.

The success of the final came after a year of controversy for Strictly with some past contestants criticising the duty of care shown to them amid allegations of bullying during rehearsals.

A number of welfare measures – including chaperones in rehearsal rooms – have since been introduced.