Comedian McCausland tipped to be Strictly's first blind winner

After weeks of aggravated competition, the Strictly Come Dancing finalists are primed to instrumentality to the creation level 1 past time.

Four celebrities are vying to get their hands connected the glitterball trophy, successful the show's 20th day year: Chris McCausland, JB Gill, Sarah Hadland and Tasha Ghouri.

Comedian McCausland, who is Strictly’s archetypal unsighted contestant, has emerged arsenic the bookmakers' favourite to triumph aft impressing some audiences and judges.

The expansive last volition beryllium broadcast connected Saturday from 18:00 GMT connected BBC One and iPlayer.

At the commencement of the series determination were 15 couples. The remaining 4 are:

• Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell
• JB Gill and Amy Dowden
• Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola
• Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec

The finalists volition execute 3 routines each successful beforehand of a unrecorded assemblage and the Strictly judges earlier the nationalist votes for a winner.

Other highlights from the amusement volition see the nonrecreational dancers joining vocalist Raye for a performance, and the afloat formed of 2024 returning to the creation level for 1 past routine.

Ahead of the final, McCausland said grooming had been "relentless", but that helium had besides recovered helium had "a batch much resilience and determination" than helium knew.

"It's been exhausting, and it's been the scariest happening I've ever done, but I deliberation it's surely been the astir rewarding happening I've ever done," helium said.

"And it's astir apt the happening that's going to person the astir lasting effect connected maine successful presumption of my outlook connected the satellite and life, and truly the opportunities that I have."

The 47-year-old and nonrecreational spouse Buswell volition execute routines including their waltz to You'll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers successful the expansive final.

The brace volition besides reprise their couple's prime regular to Instant Karma by John Lennon, which they archetypal performed past month.

During the dance, which went viral connected societal media, the comedian placed his hands implicit Buswell's eyes arsenic the country faded to black. The lights came backmost up moments aboriginal to amusement him spinning Buswell astir connected his shoulders arsenic pyrotechnics flared successful the background.

The brace received a people of 33 retired of a imaginable 40 from the judges, with Craig Revel Horwood describing the "poignant blackout moment" arsenic "absolutely spectacular".

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McCausland was registered unsighted aft losing his show to retinitis pigmentosa successful his 20s and 30s.

He revealed his 11-year-old girl was initially "nervous" erstwhile helium started retired connected Strictly, successful lawsuit helium fell implicit and "embarrassed" himself.

But now, she is backing him to win, helium added.

"She'd accidental each Saturday, 'It doesn't substance daddy if you spell retired due to the fact that I deliberation you've already won'," helium said.

"And past it was erstwhile we got to the semi-finals she said, 'Daddy, bash you cognize erstwhile I said it doesn't matter? I've changed my mind. I deliberation you tin triumph this thing'."

Gill has made it to the final, but his archetypal creation partner, Amy Dowden, was forced to propulsion retired of the series past period aft a ft injury.

The nonrecreational posted connected Instagram successful November to accidental she was heartbroken that she could nary longer continue.

It came not agelong aft the Caerphilly-born dancer finished chemotherapy.

Dowden aboriginal clarified that her wounded was unrelated to erstwhile wellness issues, adding that she needed to remainder but hoped to return.

Fellow pro Lauren Oakley took her place, pairing up with the JLS singer.

The brace volition execute routines including a Show Dance to a Motown Medley and a Viennese Waltz to Let's Go Fly A Kite from Mary Poppins.

Gill said it had been an "honour" to beryllium partnered with Dowden, and was besides afloat of praise for his caller creation partner.

"It's an unthinkable feeling," Gill said. "To marque it here, to beryllium here, alongside Lauren, is amazing."

As 1 portion of a highly palmy band, Gill came into the amusement with immoderate erstwhile creation experience.

And, contempt changing partners, helium has consistently scored highly successful the leaderboard and goes into the last successful the apical slot.

But helium said helium was inactive challenged each week and learnt caller things.

"You person bully weeks and you person atrocious weeks," helium said. "Yes, the steps are 1 thing, but really it's astir feeling it and enjoying it."

Professional dancer Vito Coppola won the contention past twelvemonth alongside Coronation Street histrion Ellie Leach.

He'll beryllium looking to repetition that occurrence connected Saturday nighttime with Miranda histrion Hadland.

Hadland, 53, has won praise during the bid for her beardown messages astir women believing successful themselves.

In video footage up of her regular past month, she said she had received galore messages from women her property who had fixed up connected dancing.

"Other radical aren't telling maine what I tin and can't do. I am," she said to the camera.

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It sparked a large absorption online.

"My favourite genre of couple's prime is simply a pistillate talking astir aforesaid maturation and discovery... and present the hottest fosse fig possible," said 1 X user.

"Sarah Hadland melts my heart, I emotion her truthful much," wrote another.

On Saturday, the brace volition execute routines including a Cha Cha to Like A Prayer by Madonna, and American Smooth to Proud by Heather Small.

Speaking up of the final, Hadland said she went into the contention reasoning she was "a precise assured person" and idiosyncratic who knows what she's susceptible of.

But during the series, she's realised she puts limits connected herself.

"Now I've realised it, you don't cognize it's happened to you, and past you say, 'Oh, however overmuch successful different parts of my beingness americium I doing this?'" she said.

"You shouldn't ever scope a constituent successful your beingness for immoderate reason, that you say, 'That's me, that's my limit'. You shouldn't bash that, due to the fact that you're stopping each these possibilities."

Former Love Island prima Ghouri, 26, and creation spouse Aljaž Škorjanec, volition besides participate the last successful a beardown position.

The brace were the archetypal to get a people of 10 and a cleanable 40 this series, with their elegant American Smooth to Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi.

During Saturday's final, they volition reprise that routine, arsenic good arsenic performing a caller amusement creation to Sing, Sing, Sing by Benny Goodman.

Ghouri is Strictly's 2nd deaf contestant, 3 year's aft Rose Ayling-Ellis won the contest.

Speaking up of the final, Ghouri said her clip connected Strictly had been "an implicit dream, particularly bedazzling my cochlear implant".

She said the show's costume squad had been adding diamantes to the implant each week, truthful it matched her costumes.

"The magnitude of messages I've got from - particularly younger women, younger children, teenagers - who person said, 'I felt represented due to the fact that I've seen you connected TV, I started decorating excavation arsenic well', and that's the powerfulness of representation, it's truthful important to person that," she said.

The model, writer and podcaster from North Yorkshire became visibly emotional connected the amusement past period arsenic she opened up astir the antagonistic absorption she has antecedently experienced online owed to her disability.

But reflecting connected her acquisition of being connected Strictly, Ghouri described it arsenic "magic" and "crazy".

"I consciousness similar it's conscionable been specified a peculiar twelvemonth to beryllium portion of and practice is truthful important to person and I consciousness truthful passionate astir it."