Although we’ve got the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special to look forward to in the not-so-distant future, this year’s Strictly has sadly come to a close.
After 13 weeks of sequin-filled bliss, joyful dance routines and heartwarming personal stories, the dance floor is closed for yet another year.
Wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin and his partner Jowita Przystał were voted the 2022 winners of the Glitterball trophy, but one other moment from the exciting finale caught viewers’ attention – the facial expressions of pro dancer Gorka Márquez.
Gorka and his celeb partner Helen Skelton were among the runners-up with Fleur East and Vito Coppola, and Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu.
After the finale, fans took to Twitter to comment on the pro dancer’s reaction, with one stating: “Think Gorka might be a bit livid looking at his facial expressions.” Similarly, others suggested he was “struggling to hide his disappointment” and was “fuming” at the result.
But speaking on Helen’s BBC Radio 5 Live show, Gorka addressed rumours that he was looking glum in the finale.
“I wasn’t fuming but I wanted Helen to finish the season with the cherry on top,” he confessed. “But I was very happy for Hamza and Jowita – they’ve been amazing.”
He continued: “Whoever won, it was amazing because the couples have been incredible, but we care and we love our job.”
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While the pair were overjoyed for Hamza to have won, there was undoubtedly a sense of disappointment too. Talking about it, Helen said that she was “delighted” for Hamza but admitted she was “gutted” over their own defeat.
She said: “Obviously we’re delighted for Hamza because he put in some amazing dances through the season, but you and I, our reaction – you could tell how gutted we were.
“Gorka has had all my stress, all my nerves. Week one, I hid on the fire escape saying I didn’t want to do it, and now we got two standing ovations – that’s our trophy, mate.”
If you’ve got a Strictly-shaped hole in your viewing schedule, have no fear as the Christmas special will be airing on BBC One on Christmas Day at 5:10pm, along with a celebrity line-up that features Rosie Ramsey, Rickie Haywood-Williams, Larry Lamb, Alexandra Mardell, Nicola Roberts and George Webster.
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