JOE Sugg shared a heartfelt post as he celebrated girlfriend Dianne Buswell’s Strictly win.
Last night, comedian Chris McCausland made history as the first ever blind contestant to take part in and win the BBC dance show.
The 47-year-old beat fellow finalists Miranda actress Sarah Hadland, Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and JLS singer JB Gill in the final, which has been branded the ‘most emotional’ of all time.
It was also the first time that Aussie pro Dianne, 35, has won Strictly and lifted the glitterball trophy.
Joe, who was partnered with Dianne on the show in 2018, made it all the way to the final, but lost out to Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton.
YouTuber Joe celebrated Dianne’s huge achievement by decorating their £3.5m Sussex mansion in balloons and a banner which read ‘2024 winner’.
Dianne flashed a big smile as she held up a mini glitterball trophy.
Joe sweetly wrote: “There are no words to describe how proud I am of you both Dianne and Chris. Last night was an absolute movie.
You made us laugh, you made us cry and you proved to the world that you are good enough and you can achieve anything the doubters say you can’t and more.
“Chris I thank you for making this year so special for Dianne and I could not be happier that you’re the partner she finally lifted the glitterball with.
“Dot, it’s been a long winding, road full of ups and downs for seven years but you have shown pure determination & dedication and you finally got there in the best way possible and everyone has been able to see how amazing you are and what an incredible teacher you are this year.
“You are both inspirations and have the nations hearts on behalf of everyone, thank you.”
Chris and Dianne performed three routines last night.
Speaking after his win, a shocked Chris said: “It’s astonishing. I don’t know what to say.
“I honestly thought I could go out in the first week or two. We have just lasted and lasted.
He thanked his partner Dianne and said: “She’s positivity, she’s belief, and she’s honestly just one of the easiest people to be funny with.
“She deserves this so much. She’s just honestly one of the easiest people to be funny with the other and unless she changes her number, she’s stuck with me.
On winning the glitterball, he said: “This is for her (Dianne) and it’s for everyone out there that thought and got told they couldn’t do something.
“It just shows with opportunity and support and determination anything can happen.”
It is the first time Dianne, who joined the show in 2017, has won Strictly.
She said: “It’s pretty cool.
“Chris says that this is for me, but it’s not for me – this is for me and you, Chris. We did this together.
“This is for both of us, not just me, we worked together and we did it.”
After months of dancing, Chris was praised for his routines – which included the couple’s favourite dance, their final show dance and the routine best enjoyed by the judges.
He was given his first perfect score of 40 points for a waltz routine to You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers, his final dance of the series.
Dianne, Chris and the judges all wept after the incredible performance.
Chris’ second routine featured different dance styles to You Get What You Give by New Radicals, and he also recreated his viral “blackout moment” for the first dance.
In the couple’s choice routine to Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon, Chris placed his hands over Dianne’s eyes as the room faded to black, before the ballroom went completely dark and then the light came back on – with pyrotechnics flaring in the background.
Ahead of the final, Chris admitted: “I feel like we’ve never stayed in the competition above anybody that got higher scores than us, so it feels like we’ve exceeded expectations and got here on our own merits, so we’ve succeeded above and beyond what we expected of ourselves.”
Reflecting back on his journey, the comic described it as “unbelievable, surprising and emotional” and feels he has learnt a lot about himself.
“The fact that we’ve been able to do it, the fact that we’ve been able to pull this off, the fact we’ve been able to learn the dances and put on a show… It’s all surprising”, he added.
