Joe Sugg has shared a sweet, gushing message to celebrate his girlfriend Dianne Buswell and her Strictly partner Chris McCausland after they were victorious on the BBC show on Saturday.
The professional dancer, 34, and Chris, 47, were crowned 2024’s champions after the comedian made history as the show’s first-ever blind contestant and winner.
Chris pipped fellow finalists Tasha Ghouri, JB Gill and Sarah Hadland to the post in the ‘best ever’ final, with his cheeky wit and inspiring story helping to save the show following a year of scandals.
And now Joe, who first met Dianne on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, has proudly shared a gallery of pictures praising the dancer for her hard work and ‘determination’.
Joe wrote: ‘There are no words to describe how proud I am of you both @diannebuswell @chrismccauslandcomedy, 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 7 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.’
In the series of photos, Dianne was all smiles as she proudly held onto the Glitterball trophy while Chris and Joe stood either side of her.
Joe had also decorated the couple lavish home with a ‘2024 winner’ banner hanging in their hallway with silver balloons scattered on the floor.
Dianne couldn’t contain her smile as she held up her very own mini trophy while wearing a stunning black leather minidress and boots.
It is the first time Dianne has won Strictly after making it to the final last year with partner EastEnders actor Bobby Brazier, 20, but losing out to Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola.
Dianne previously lost out on the victory win in 2018 when she was partnered with her now boyfriend Joe as Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton lifted the Glitterball.
This years final, which was the highest-scoring ever, saw all the couples each perform three dances for the judges before hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced Chris as the winner of the much sought after Glitterball trophy.
After Chris won, he broke down in tears as he was embraced by his fellow celebs before throwing Dianne triumphantly over his shoulder while the audience went wild.
Asked how the moment felt by Tess and Claudia, Chris said: ‘It’s astonishing, I don’t know what to say. I honestly thought I was going to go out in the first week or two and I know nobody went out in the first week but I still thought I could.
‘We’ve just lasted and lasted and [Dianne] has got so much out of me and she deserves [the trophy] so much’ as he went on to gush over her ‘positivity’ and ‘belief’.
He then joked: ‘Unless she changes her number she’s stuck with me. This is for [Dianne] and everyone out there, it just shows that with the opportunity and support anything is possible!’.
Chris gained his first perfect score of 40 points for a waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers, which was his final dance of the series and left the judges and viewers in tears.
His second routine was a medley of dance styles to You Get What You Give by New Radicals and he recreated his viral ‘blackout’ moment for the first dance.
Chris and Dianne also danced to their own choice of tune – Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon.
