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Professional dancer broke down in tears as he said he did not deserve a celebrity partner in last year’s series because he ‘was not grateful’
Ellie Muir Saturday 20 December 2025 21:04 GMT- Bookmark
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CloseStrictly’s Carlos Gu breaks down in tears after show confession as Claudia Winkleman rushes to comfort him
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Strictly Come Dancing’s Carlos Gu sobbed uncontrollably as he admitted he was a “self-centred” person before he met his celebrity dance partner Karen Carney.
Reflecting on how much Carney – a former Lioness – has influenced him, Gu said: “She changed my life. She’s the best thing I’ve ever had in 2025. I came to Strictly after competitive live, I was self-centered, I was ‘me me me.’”
“I’ve been lost for years… no wonder I didn’t get a partner last year because I was not grateful,” he said, referring to the fact that he was not paired with a celebrity on the 2024 programme.
Host Claudia Winkleman was shocked by the admission and disagreed as she said: “No, no!”
He interrupted her, saying: “I need to finish….[Karen] taught me how to be a kind humble person, and for the first time, I learnt how to be a team player. I never used to be a team player, which I am so sad about.”
Winkleman reassured him: “You’ve always been a team player, and we love you!”
The couple had closed the show with a perfect score for their jive to “One Way or Another” by Blondie, after receiving another 40 score earlier that night, for their Argentine tango to “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
Emotions were high during the 2025 grand final, in which Winkleman and her presenting partner Tess Daly delivered their last final after working on the programme for over two decades.
open image in galleryKaren Carney and Carlos Gu in the ‘Strictly’ final (BBC)The presenters jointly announced in autumn that they were leaving the programme because it “feels like the right time”. Their last episode will be the pre-recorded Christmas special on 25 December.
Daly has presented since the first series 21 years ago. Winkleman joined in 2014, having hosted Strictly's sister show It Takes Two since 2004.
open image in galleryKaren Carney and Carlos Gu dancing on ‘Strictly’ (BBC/Guy Levy)Since the announcement was made, speculation has been rife as to who could step into the hosts’ shoes.
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Rumoured names to replace them include Zoe Ball, Alison Hammond, Paddy McGuinness, Rylan Clark, Stacey Dooley, Janette Manrara and Fleur East.
On Friday, Daly’s husband Vernon Kay paid tribute to his wife on his BBC Radio 2 show, saying: “It’s Tess’s last Strictly on Saturday and I can't say too much because I’m going to get really emotional, but it’s been an amazing 21 years.
“She has been at the helm of that show with Bruce [Forsyth, who died in 2017 after co-hosting between 2004 to 2013] and with Claudia and it's been nothing but raucous fun. It’s been the favourite show of the nation for so long since it started and it’s seen our two kids arrive through the show as well.
Follow along with our live coverage of the final here.
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Strictly Come DancingClaudia WinklemanKaren CarneyTess DalyVernon KayJoin our commenting forum
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