Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Particular winner Scarlett Moffatt opens up about her victory with Vito Coppola and her previous dance expertise

Tonight represented a major second within the Strictly Come Dancing story, with presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman making their last look on the pre-recorded Christmas Particular.

The programme proved memorable for one more cause as nicely, with Scarlett Moffatt claiming victory and securing the glitterball trophy for the primary time, calling her triumph “the best” Christmas current.

Discussing her success, the 35 yr previous mentioned: “That is wonderful! I really feel like I ought to have ready a speech! That is actually the best present that might have ever occurred at Christmas. We have all simply had the most effective time!”.

The previous Googlebox persona and I am A Movie star champion prevailed together with her skilled dancing associate Vito Coppola. In dialog with the Mirror earlier than the particular aired, Scarlett mentioned: “I could not imagine my luck after I was paired with Vito.

“I actually needed him! I stored mentioning that Vito can be my favorite. I am so grateful to the present for giving us an opportunity to be a small half in such an enormous establishment.”, stories the Mirror.

Her intuition proved appropriate because the duo impressed with their Cha Cha to DJ Play A Christmas Music by Cher, securing a flawless 40 rating from the judging panel. Scarlett continued: “We simply have such amusing collectively, it appears like I’ve identified him a decade. It is [Strictly] is simply the most effective.”

The performer – who has a two yr previous son, Jude, together with her fiancé Scott Dobinson – is well-versed on the planet of dance.

She took up dancing as a teen and progressed to turn into a aggressive ballroom and Latin dancer, even receiving tuition from Strictly choose Anton Du Beke.

Victory is acquainted territory for Scarlett, having been topped British Ballroom Champion at simply 16 years previous, and persevering with to compete in finals till the age of 21. She remarked: “Strictly reignited the hearth inside me, reminding me that I really like dance. It is positively going to be one thing that I proceed to do even after strictly, I simply adore it. It brings me a lot pleasure.”

Previous to the printed, Scarlett additionally expressed her pleasure about showing on Strictly. She shared a video compilation on Instagram, combining clips from her childhood dance competitions with footage of her rehearsals for Strictly alongside Coppola.

Scarlett defined: “I do know I am going to in all probability by no means get to bounce on the primary Strictly sequence due to my previous dance expertise after I was just a little woman so attending to be a part of the Christmas particular means every part to me. Dancing on the Strictly Christmas Particular, on Christmas Day, appears like a real bucket-list second – a kind of needs you make quietly and by no means actually count on to come back true.”

The programme featured six celebrities hitting the dancefloor, together with comic Babatunde Aléshé partnered with Nancy Xu, singer Brian McFadden with Michelle Tsiakkas, Gladiators star Jodie Ounsley (Fury) alongside Neil Jones, All Saints singer Melanie Blatt with Kai Widdrington, and EastEnders actor Nicholas Bailey teamed with Luba Mushtuk.

Scarlett’s journey with fame and the general public eye hasn’t been fairly as seamless as her dancing prowess. She quickly captured hearts together with her sharp humour on Gogglebox, which led to an look within the I am A Movie star jungle throughout 2016, coinciding with a dramatic transformation in her physique.

Her weight plummeted from a dimension 18 to an 8, initially attributed to weight-reduction plan and health regimes, even prompting a health DVD launch. Nevertheless, she subsequently acknowledged the burden loss stemmed from an intensive Swiss bootcamp involving extreme calorie restrictions.

She later disclosed she’d “purposefully gained weight” to discourage followers from pursuing drastic weight discount.

Although now comfy in her physique, she confesses to occasional self-doubt throughout Strictly rehearsals and preparation. She defined: “Generally I catch glimpses of myself within the mirror and I’m going, oh, that is not what I believed I appeared like in my head. However I am having the most effective time, and that is all that issues is that I am having fun with myself.”

The festive particular additionally marked the tip of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s tenure as hosts on the BBC programme, following their stunning resignation earlier this yr.

Tess even had an opportunity to indicate off her personal dance strikes, performing an Argentine Tango with Aljaž Škorjanec.

Singer Brian and Michelle impressed with their Jive to Run Run Rudolph, bagging a complete of 39 factors out of a potential 40. Nicholas and Luba matched this rating with their Viennese Waltz.

Jodie and Neil additionally put in a powerful efficiency, scoring 37 for his or her Road Business to Purple Christmas by Kylie Cantrall.

With the judges’ scores mixed with the studio viewers vote, TV persona Scarlett was introduced because the winner, lifting Strictly’s Christmas Star Trophy alongside Vito. Remarkably, Scarlett managed to maintain her victory a secret from her household, who found the information together with everybody else yesterday.

Earlier than the present aired, she mentioned: “I’ll make them wait. I already really feel like a winner anyway, the truth that I am dancing with Vito and I get to carry out. I do not need to give something away.”

After her stint within the jungle in 2017, Scarlett joined TV presenting veterans Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly as a co-host on Saturday Evening Takeaway for 2 years. She’s since stepped again from the limelight, however after her Strictly success, she’s contemplating making one other triumphant return to actuality reveals.

She’s been tipped as a possible contestant for the I am A Movie star All Stars line-up, with Harry Redknapp, Mo Farah and Gemma Collins additionally rumoured to look when it reportedly airs subsequent Could. Hinting on the risk, she remarked: “I completely love the present. Hypothetically, if I used to be to return, I might simply absorb each second once more as a result of I had such an incredible time the primary time spherical. And I used to be a child, I’d simply turned 25. I used to be beginning out on this trade, and I actually really feel like if I acquired the chance to do it once more, I do know myself extra now.

“I loved it after I was final on, however I frightened just a little bit and I did not need it to finish. Whereas now, I might simply take pleasure in it for what it’s.”

Benefiting from issues is exactly Scarlett’s method to the festive interval.

She continued: “I am juggling doing panto, doing Strictly, and different work commitments, whereas having a toddler and attempting to remain in touch with family and friends. I feel you need to not stress and simply do not forget that what a privileged place and a pleasure it’s to have so many individuals to see over Christmas.”