While AJ Odudu was sadly forced to drop out of the competition<\/a> ahead of Saturday\u2019s final after suffering a leg injury in rehearsal, the show did indeed go on with Ayling-Ellis and Bake Off winner John Whaite<\/a> going head-to-head with three stunning performances each.<\/p>\n Back with his final column of the year is former Strictly Come Dancing professional Ian Waite, who spoke to\u00a0RadioTimes.com<\/a> about his thoughts on this weekend\u2019s epic final and who he\u2019d like to see on the 2022 series.<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s show was absolutely amazing. It was spectacular on so many levels. I was so upset for AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington as they didn\u2019t get to dance in that wonderful final \u2013 I think that would have just been the icing on the cake.<\/p>\n For me, it was one of the most emotional finals I\u2019ve ever seen because every dance made you want to cry. I think everybody I know that watched the final just thought it was the best final ever.<\/p>\n I thought both John Whaite or Rose Ayling-Ellis would have been worthy winners but I was so pleased that Rose and Giovanni Pernice won. She\u2019s overcome her disability and actually turned it into an advantage. Every step of the way, she followed Giovanni and I think the chemistry between the two of them, and also the communication between the two of them, was just really special to watch.<\/p>\n As a viewer every week, they seemed to up their game with every dance. My particular favourite was the Couple\u2019s Choice where the music was cut out, and we got to hear what she hears every week, and it was so powerful to see \u2013 I don\u2019t think there was a dry eye in the house.<\/p>\n Well, it\u2019s difficult because there were so many highlights. It\u2019s just been a really special year and the most diversity that we\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n Having two men dance with each other in the final was the highlight for me \u2013 to have that representation and to make it normal. It is great that people found it okay to watch and okay to vote for them. Back in my day on Strictly, it was never even thought that that could happen because it was assumed that the British public wouldn\u2019t accept it and just to see them in the final just shows how far we\u2019ve come as a society.<\/p>\n Well, obviously AJ not being in that final. I loved her dancing from the very beginning when she did her jive in the first week. I thought she was such a brilliant dancer, she\u2019d been trained so well by Kai.<\/p>\n I thought Kai\u2019s first appearance as a pro on Strictly, he just showed what a brilliant dancer he is. I\u2019ve known him since he was a little boy growing up in Southampton. He\u2019s always been one of the best dancers I\u2019ve ever seen, and it\u2019s so, so nice to see a British boy do so well on the show. I look forward to seeing him in future series.<\/p>\n My last series on Strictly was with Jade Johnson and she had to pull out due to a knee injury in the quarter-finals, so I know how it feels. It\u2019s absolutely gutting \u2013 we were tipped for the final and to not actually get there just because of an injury instead of playing out your whole dream as it were is heart-wrenching.<\/p>\n Who was your favourite pairing throughout the whole competition?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Well, that\u2019s a really difficult one. I think I mostly loved Rose and Giovanni because they seem to get on so well. They seem to be great friends. Obviously, their chemistry was so great that people were just drawn into their way of communicating and I think Rose was so endearing all the way through. For me that\u2019s what came across.<\/p>\n To be honest, all three finalists \u2013 and I\u2019m going to say AJ is a finalist because she was \u2013 really came across so well throughout the whole show. I loved all of their relationships and I thought they were great personalities. It was a pleasure to watch them.<\/p>\n Who would you like to see on Strictly Come Dancing next year?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n There are so many celebrities but wouldn\u2019t it be lovely to see a comedian like Michael McIntyre on the show? Or the lovely Alan Carr would be fun. Let\u2019s have him in a same-sex partnership next year.<\/p>\n Whether they\u2019ll do that again, why not? Why not make it a regular feature every year? Why not have two couples? An all-male couple and an-all female couple. Let\u2019s have Clare Balding dancing with another woman.<\/p>\n I am doing a little Zoom event for the charity Dystonia UK later and I\u2019m teaching them a Charleston online so that\u2019s going to be fun.<\/p>\n As for the rest of my week, I\u2019m probably going to be preparing for Christmas. I\u2019m going to be shopping, getting all the presents. I\u2019ve been so busy, I haven\u2019t had time to buy everybody\u2019s presents yet. I have a few but not all of my family\u2019s so I will be shopping and just gearing up for Christmas \u2013 doing lots of food shopping probably.<\/p>\n I\u2019m looking forward to the rest time because I\u2019ve just recovered from COVID and can\u2019t wait to chill out and enjoy Christmas. I\u2019m also excited for the New Year coming because I will be touring again in April with the Ballroom Boys alongside Vincent Simone in our brand new show Act Two.<\/p>\n Ian\u2019s\u00a0The Ballroom Boys<\/a> Tour returns in the New Year.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Looking for something to watch in the meantime, check out our full\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0or visit our\u00a0Entertainment<\/a> hub for the latest news.<\/strong><\/p>\nIan Waite on the Strictly 2021 final<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\""Strictly\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/12\/23946354-high_res-strictly-come-dancing-2021-33663e6.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"strictly-come-dancing\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Ian Waite on Rose Ayling-Ellis winning<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Strictly High of the Week<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\""Strictly\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/12\/23947001-high_res-strictly-come-dancing-2021-69ed595.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"strictly-come-dancing-john-whaite\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Strictly Low of the Week<\/h2>\n
![\""Aj\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/12\/strictly-come-dancing-aj-odudu-6a93670-e1639852653457.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Aj\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Ian Answers\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Waite\u2019s Week<\/strong><\/h2>\n