Who has won Strictly Come Dancing through the years? From Rose Ayling-Ellis to Alesha Dixon and Ellie Leach

Natasha Kaplinsky is a newsreader and television presenter, best known for her roles as a newsreader on Sky News, BBC News, Channel 5 and ITV News. The star was partnered with Brendan Cole for the inaugural series with the pair ultimately triumphing.

Natasha received the highest mark in eight out of ten dances and became the first celebrity to score a perfect ten. The star finished 39 points clear in the final against her competitor, Christopher Parker.

Natasha co-presented the first half of the second series in 2004 with Bruce Forsyth, when regular presenter Tess Daly went on maternity leave.

Jill Halfpenny is an actress and West End performer, known for her roles in rival soap operas Coronation Street and EastEnders, as well as theatre productions of Calendar Girls, Chicago and Legally Blonde.

The actress was coupled with professional dancer Darren Bennett and not only did the couple win the competition, they received the first-ever perfect score from the judges for their Jive in the final.

Jill reflected on her performances in an interview with the BBC where she said: “I always look back and think I could have done better, but that’s just the critic in me.”

Darren Gough is a former English cricket player. Darren and professional partner Lilia Kopylova were unexpectedly victorious as they were crowned series three winners despite never finishing at the top of the leaderboard.

Darren created a ten-step guide on how to win the show with his most important piece of advice being: “It’s not always the best dancers that win, I’m a perfect example of that. By the end I was pretty nifty but I’m not a natural dancer. If you’ve got your personality, use it!”

Mark Ramprakash was the second consecutive cricketer to win the show when he paired up with Karen Hardy.

The pair became the first couple to restart a dance due to technical issues during their salsa as Ramprakash’s microphone got caught on Hardy’s dress. Despite this, they still managed to score four nines for the routine. The reprise of their Salsa in the final scored them the perfect 40 marks and ultimately lead to their glory.

Mark struggled with a lack of confidence throughout the series and often doubted his ability, saying: “I’d never say I was confident going out to dance because it can take one small lapse in concentration and you can go wrong.”

Singer Alesha Dixon and her professional partner Matthew Cutler narrowly edged out their competition Matt Di Angelo to take the crown in the fifth series.

Alesha’s television exposure led to a successful comeback, which included signing to Asylum Records and releasing a second album which received platinum certification. Her single Breathe Slow also earned a Brit nomination.

Alesha returned to the series as a judge on the seventh series, replacing Arlene Phillips. After quitting the show after series nine, she became a judge on Britain’s Got Talent.

Casualty actor Tom Chambers and professional partner Camilla Dallerup were one of the most unexpected winners of the show, beating the likes of Lisa Snowdon and Rachel Stevens.

Among the controversy of the semi-final and the technical issue with voting, it was decided to allow all three celebrities to progress to the final.

Labelled the ‘underdog,’ Tom never scored a perfect ten, unlike his rivals. He did, however, receive the highest marks of the series for the Salsa and Samba.

Chris Hollins, journalist, presenter and sportsman became the seventh winner of the show with professional partner Ola Jordan, as they triumphed over favourite Ricky Whittle.

Chris performed consistently well throughout the show and avoided the dreaded dance-off. He also the highest scores for two of his performances in the final.

Chris had never been brought up around dance as his mum stated: “We never thought we’d be watching him on Strictly. We were nervous because we’d never seen him dance.”

Kara Tointon, best known for her role in BBC soap opera EastEnders, became the second actress to win the show.

The star was partnered with debutant Artem Chigvintsev. Sharing her thoughts on her last evening on the show, she said: “It wasn’t about getting through to the next round and doing our best. It was us just enjoying it and that is when I realised what an amazing person I have met.“

Harry Judd, is best known as the drummer for pop rock band McFly and was crowned the winner of series nine alongside his partner Aliona Vilani.

Harry constantly improved week by week. He topped the leaderboard in week seven before performing at his optimum in the final when he achieved two perfect scores of 40.

Louis Smith was riding high from his success at the 2012 London Olympics when he competed in the tenth series. The Olympian was paired with professional dancer Flavia Cacace, and took on one of the most hotly contested finals in Strictly history.

Louis began to flourish in week nine as he embraced his artistic skills and integrated them into his dancing. He proudly stated in an interview following his impressive win: “I can finally say I won something in the year 2012.”

Model and TV presenter Abbey Clancy won series 11 alongside her partner Aljaz Skorjanec. Despite having had no formal dance training, Abbey showcased her natural rhythm as she grew from strength to strength every week, before beating fellow finalists Susana Reid, Natalie Gumede and Sophie Ellis-Bexter in a spectacular final show.

Abbey achieved her first ten during Blackpool week, and her first 40 during Musicals Week. Shocked by the results, she said: “I can’t believe this; it’s just mad!”  She expressed how the show was “the most perfect experience [she’s] had.”

The late Caroline Flack lifted the Glitterball with partner Pasha Kovalev as they were crowned 2014 winners. Her win came after the pair made history by achieving a perfect score from the judges on every performance in the final.

Caroline was ecstatic about her victory, saying: “This is the best feeling in the whole world. This has been the best experience of my whole life, mostly because of Pasha, but also because of the other contestants. I’m so lucky to get to know this incredible bunch of people.”

Caroline sadly took her own life on 15 February. Strictly paid a special tribute to the star in the aftermath of her death which featured Pasha. He said of Caroline: “We saw how she transformed into that beautiful dancer with a big heart on her sleeve. That series will always have a special place in my heart.”

Jay McGuiness is a singer best known as a vocalist with boy band The Wanted. Jay and professional dancer Aliona Vilani became the 13th champions of Strictly, posting three impressive routines in the final, scoring: 35, 36 and 39 respectively.

“It feels surreal,” Jay told RadioTimes.com. “It does feel amazing because I enjoyed every second of our last dance. In my head now I think, ‘Oh people enjoyed it, too.'”

Aliona’s win with Jay made her the first Strictly professional to win the show on two occasions.

Ore Oduba is a television, news and sports presenter and was paired with Joanne Clifton on the show’s 14th series. The presenter shocked the public when he achieved two perfect scores of 40 in the final.

Ore wasn’t initially keen on the idea of joining the show, saying: “When I got the call I became a jibbering mess. I’m more competitive with myself than anyone else. Always strive for perfection, even if it’s completely unrealistic.”

Holy City actor Joe McFadden and Katya Jones were crowned the winners of the Strictly 2017 series and Joe was speechless when he was called as the winner.

The pair had been awarded their first 40 of the series during the finale, so to win the competition was the icing on the cake.

Joe said: “Oh my goodness! It’s completely surreal! We did it!” as he hugged his dance partner Katya.

Documentary maker Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton won the 16th series of the show, beating fellow contestants Ashley Roberts, Joe Sugg and Faye Tozer to walk away with the Glitterball Trophy.

The result saw Kevin claim his first trophy after having previously featured in four consecutive finals.

When Stacey finally found herself able to talk, she said: “Kev, listen, you know how highly I think of you. I think you’re the biggest gent. It’s no coincidence he’s been in the final as many times as he has. I’ve had the most incredible time. It’s daunting, you feel silly, a bit of an idiot, but Kevin walks you through – you deserve this.”

A fan favourite couple from the start of the series, Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse were delighted when their names were called out as the winners of the 17th series.

The pair wowed week after week with some unforgettable dances, not to mention Kelvin’s incredible hip action in the Samba.

Kelvin impressed the judges even more as he was a last-minute addition to the series, having replaced Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing after he was forced to pull out after injuring himself.

After managing to make Strictly Come Dancing work after a challenging year with the Covid-19 pandemic, comedian Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse were overwhelmed to walk away with the Glitterball trophy! Celebrating the win, Bill said: “It feels surreal, it feels extraordinary, it feels wonderful. I never thought we’d get this far, I never thought we’d get to the final – but I had the most extraordinary teacher, the most extraordinary dancer!”

Oti became the only professional dancer on the show to win in consecutive years.

Rose Ayling-Ellis and her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice were announced as the winners of the 19th series back in 2021. EastEnders star Rose was the show’s first ever deaf contestant and she said she was encouraged to take part in the show as she wanted to challenge perceptions about how deaf people experience music.

The star thanked Giovanni for everything, calling him a wonderful friend who “will always have a piece of my heart”. She told him: “I just want to say you are so amazing. You pushed me to believe in myself more than I believe in myself. You are an incredible teacher, but not just that… you are a wonderful friend.

“We’ve gone through a lot, and I just want you to know no matter what happens, no matter how busy we get, I want you to know you’ve always got a piece of my heart. You really do.”

Wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin and partner Jowita Przystal were named as the champions following a strong finale in 2022. 

The duo had strong competition in the form of Fleur East, Helen Skelton aand Molly Rainford and plenty of show-stopping routines were delivered throughout the evening.

Reflecting on his journey on Morning Live, Hamza said: “There’s so much emotion, just watching it now I’ve not really paid much attention to it, I’ve not gone back and watched it. So seeing it here and seeing the music, it brings back so much memories and joy.”

Former Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola are the most-recent winners of the show, as they claimed the Glitterball Trophy in its 21st series.

Ellie became the show’s youngest winner at the age of 22 and throughout her journey, she sparked plenty of romance rumours with her dance partner, although the pair have clarified that they are only friends.

“I actually, genuinely cannot believe this,” she said, before teasing Vito. “For once, you’re crying more than me, this is for you, this is for you.”