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Chris McCausland and his professional partner Dianne Buswell they were crowned the winners Strictly Come Dancing’with 2024 series.
Comedian, best known for appearing in Do I have news for you and its holder ITV program The Chris McCausland Showmade Strictly history as the first blind contestant to win – and participate in – the competition.
McCausland and Buswell competed against Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola, Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec, as well as JB Gill and his professional partner Lauren Oakley in the tense grand finale, which aired tonight (December 14).
The stand-up comedian, 47, danced three routines during the live finale: the couple’s choice of “Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)” by John Lennon, a show dance to “You Get What You Give” by New Radicals and a waltz to “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Gerry and the Pacemakers.
After his win was announced by presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, McCausland broke down in tears and hugged his partner Buswell, who also became emotional.
The comedian’s parents were not in the audience on Saturday night due to illness, meaning they stayed in Liverpool to watch the show at home.
McCausland lost his sight when he was 22 years old due to an inherited condition called retinitis pigmentosa.
While appearing on Fear of the darkhe spoke openly about his experience of going blind, saying that “when it started to happen it was scary and embarrassing”.
He added: “I got into a bad situation because I didn’t want to ask for help. I will never be in the same field as everyone else.”
McCausland, who is married and has an 11-year-old daughter, explained that he “can still see light and space” and has “an awareness of the space around him, not in terms of objects and things, but in terms of the room and whether it might be something in front of me.”
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In the first week of the competition, the comedian admitted that his Buswell had punched him in the face during rehearsaladding they completely “winged” how she taught him to dance even though he couldn’t see her.
Ahead of his appearance on Strictly, he said he didn’t want to “beat viewers over the head” with his blindness, stating: “It’s great to have people coming in who can represent a disability and at the same time have the experience to do the job properly. There’s no point in fast-tracking artists to TV before they’re ready.
“My attitude has always been to represent by not knocking you over the head. I think the best way to present disability is for people to forget about it whenever possible. It’s always a part of you.
“But if you can make a show where, say, 80 percent isn’t about blindness, it makes it even more compelling and fun when you’re talking about it. I believe in representation within the mainstream.”
More to come…
Follow everything that happened in the final live here.