For the past couple of years, the Strictly final has meant basically two to three hours of crying. I wasn’t expecting it this year, because whilst I love the remaining couples, none of them had that emotional impact for me. And yes, we’re saying goodbye to Tess and Claudia but they’ve always said it’s about the couples not them, so that won’t be too bad either, will it?

Wrong! Ten minutes in, the tissues were deployed.

Judge’s Picks

I really liked the judges getting involved and visiting each couple for a masterclass. It’s nice to see their expertise in action, rather than just sitting behind that desk. It’s a shame that Craig didn’t get a go, but hopefully they’ll keep this innovation for next year and we might have a full line up.

Amber and Nikita were up first with their Paso Doble, it was pretty perfect, not much to add. George and Alexis revisited their Viennese Waltz which again looked great, although I couldn’t tell specifically if it had improved. And then Karen and Carlos rocked up with their Argentine Tango and blew the doors off. The storytelling was even better than first time round and it was mesmerising.

At this point, my desire and expectation that George might win was starting to wobble as Karen was really bringing her A game.

Showdances

Traditionally, the showdance makes or breaks a couple for the final. Amber and Nikita picked a real tune, and completed a great performance. The dress ripping off was fun, and there were some innovative tricks to behold, but it did feel a bit less of a dance and more of a gymnastics set at times.

George and Alexis’ dance was less technically good but much more emotional, telling that story really well and merging fast and slow elements with great flow. Alexis is off the scale, really, gravity doesn’t affect her!

Finally Karen and Carlos pulled off another proper showdance, it started slow then hit the joy and went super fast towards the end. A great song as well.

For me, George won this round, but for arguably the first time ever, the showdance might not be the one that wins it.

Couple’s Pick

The final opportunity to dance. Amber picked her jive, which was great although the slow bit at the start still annoys me. George did the Paso, which actually had a wobble or two - Alexis properly stumbled, maybe gravity does affect her after all! And finally Karen did her week 1 jive which was exceptional.

Carlos opening up during one of the post-dance interviews was very insightful. We’ve not really understood why he’s been so emotional over the past few weeks, but knowing now that he’s changed and feels like he’s previously not been humble enough is a revelation. It makes total sense too, though, to come from that competitive professional world must be quite a switch.

I’d been fifty-fifty for much of the show but towards the end it was so clear that Karen was the winner. She might not have been the best dancer of the night, but the joy and the humility were what made it her glitterball to take. Such a celebration, and such a wonderful way to end the series.

We have the Christmas special to enjoy but then it’s just an endless wait to find out who is going to be hosting the series next year, and how that’s going to change the dynamic of the show. Watch this space!