Karen Carney wins Strictly Come Dancing! Lionesses legend makes history as she lifts iconic glitter-ball trophy

On Saturday, Carney became the 23rd winner of the Strictly Come Dancing competition as she and her dancing partner Carlos Gu lifted the trophy. Other than winning the entire contest, the 38-year-old also won the best VT award and the best dance award for her performance in her Peaky Blinders-themed Argentine tango.

In the first live show of the 2025 edition of the popular dancing programme, Carney banished an 18-year curse when she finished top of the Strictly leaderboard. The former midfielder put an end to stereotypes surrounding footballers and their ability to perform on the dancefloor with a fantastic performance, which received widespread praise. 

The 38-year-old performed with her professional dancing partner, Carlos Gu. 

Carney was not the only former footballer who performed in the season, with ex-Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who was eliminated in round four. The 38-year-old came into this final in exceptional form, having scored six 10s in the semi-final and topping the leaderboard. 

She duly danced to victory, dropping just three points across with three firecracker routines. Even in her moment of glory, the ex-footballer took care to thank everyone. Sometimes it’s an anti-climax when the bookies’ favourite wins.

While Carney became the first footballer to win Strictly, several footballers have tried and failed to reach the top of the leaderboard over the years, including her former Lionesses teammate Alex Scott. Other footballers who have appeared in the Strictly ballroom include ex-goalkeepers Peter Schmeichel, Peter Shilton and David James, as well as John Barnes, Robbie Savage and Tony Adams. This year, Hasselbaink competed and was ousted early.