Strictly Come Dancing's final brought to a climax weeks of speculation about who would lift the glitterball trophy at the end of the series and claim the 2022 dance competition title. With wildlife photographer Hamza Yassin stepping up to take his place on the wall of Strictly fame, alongside professional dance partner Jowita Przystal, the reaction from second place stars was clear.
What's more, runners-up Helen Skelton and dance pro Gorka Marquez appear to have suggested the win was not a popular choice with fellow pro dancers. The BBC Countryfile presenter was speaking on a Radio 5 show when she said: "Every pro on the show was desperate for him [Gorka] to win and that says everything about him." She added: "He's my hero of the week."
Fans of the show had already taken to social media to point out that Gorka's expression on hearing the result was telling, with one Twitter user writing: "Gorka is absolutely fuming." Another accused Gorka of being a "sore loser" as the pro struggled to hide his disappointment. Helen said: "Obviously we're delighted for Hamza because he put in some amazing dances through the season. But Gorka and I, our reaction, you could tell how gutted we were."
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But Gorka claims: "I wasn't fuming but I wanted Helen to finish the season with the cherry on top." He added: "I was happy for Hamza and Jowita, they've been amazing."
Hamza and Jowita struck a full house of scores for their final dance - the couple's choice - walking away with straight tens to bag 40 total score in the round. Helen and Gorka also swept the board for the couple choice dance. Both pairs narrowly missed out on a 40 score for their first dance dropping just one point.
Birmingham Live reported Helen as saying: "When Claudia [Winkleman] asked me what it would mean to win the show, and I wasn't able to articulate what I wanted to say, but ultimately it would have been the perfect way to say thank you for all the support and the messages that I've had. All I was able to say was we've had this atmosphere, I'll take it!
"And if I could bottle that atmosphere from Saturday night and the applause and the way everyone was going crazy, that will see me through any dark day because it was just the most wonderful feeling and it just goes to show what happens when you surround yourself with good people. What I love about Gorka and our friendship is we are so honest, it's written all over our faces.
"When I was terrified, I was terrified. When we were loving our time together, we were loving our time together. When we were stressed, we were stressed.
"And if his face had said anything other than 'I'm disappointed' on Saturday, it would have been a disservice. I'm not taking anything away from Hamza and Jowita, they have been brilliant all season and we are delighted for them. Gorka helped give Hamza so many tips, in a supportive way, it's a real family, and bless him, he just wanted to win it."
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