After weeks of contestants battling it out on the dancefloor the final of Strictly Come Dancing has finally arrived. The stars that have successfully clinched places in the final are Molly Rainford, Fleur East, Helen Skelton and Hamza Yassin, who are now all in with a chance of winning the Glitterball trophy.
Wildlife presenter Hamza, TV presenter Helen, actor and singer Molly and singer Fleur will compete the final after Will Mellor became the 11th celebrity to leave the BBC One dance competition on Monday.
Strictly Come Dancing: The Final will air live on Saturday at 7.15pm, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The winner will be announced before the show finishes at 9.35pm. Hamza remains the 1/2 favourite to win according to William Hill and Helen, who is the only celebrity to not have been in the dance-off, is in second place at 13/8.
READ MORE: BBC Strictly Come Dancing final dances and songs confirmed but 'rule change' called for by fans
It comes after the average scores of each couple this series were revealed by a fan site, with Hamza and Molly tied on 34.27 out of 40. But, when it comes to the total scores so far, made up of marks from each week, it's Hamza and Jowita who are just ahead, Chronicle Live reports. The figures were shared by another Strictly star, Richie Anderson during Thursday's It Takes Two
Hamza and Jowita's total score stands at 453, just one ahead of Molly and Carlos on 452, who are just our ahead of Fleur and Vito on 449. Despite being second favourites to win, Helen and Gorka's middle of the leaderboard scores in the first few weeks have cost them as they were nearly 20 points behind Fleur and Vito, on 428.
The 20th Strictly final will be hosted by duo Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman just a week before Christmas on Saturday, December 17, and sitting on the judging panel is Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke, the Mirror reports.
Who are the finalists:
Helen Skelton:
Blue Peter Helen presenter has made it all the way to the final four. TV and radio presenter, 39, and her professional partner Gorka Marquez, 32, is among one of the four couples who will compete on Saturday to win the glitterball trophy. However, Skelton has been public about her struggles as a new mum going through a divorce this year.
Speaking ahead of the final, she reflected on her personal growth throughout the competition, saying: “Confidence is all relative, isn’t it?
“And challenges are all relative. But yes, I’ve definitely found my confidence on that dancefloor. I enjoy it and that’s what it’s about.”
Skelton has been open about how she has felt as a new mum, facing a divorce and the impact that has had on her mental wellbeing. Her husband reportedly moved out of the family home following the birth of their third child, Elsie Kate.
Hamza Yassin:
Photographer Hamza Yassin is best known for his work on the likes of Countryfile and Animal Park. He is currently making his way back from an expedition abroad before competing in the BBC dance show.
Kids will know him as Ranger Hamza from CBeebies' live-action show Let's Go For A Walk. Hamza has admitted he still does not believe he can dance as he prepares for the Strictly Come Dancing final.
The 32-year-old wildlife cameraman and presenter and his professional partner Jowita Przystal are among the four couples who will compete on Saturday to win the glitterball trophy.
Yassin has topped the leaderboard throughout the BBC One show but said taking home the crown would be like all his Christmases, Easters and birthdays rolled into one.
Speaking ahead of the final, he revealed he was excited but also nervous as he did not believe he was going to be in this position.
“I thought week one – get going. I didn’t think I could dance, I still don’t think I can dance,” Yassin said.
Asked if his lack of confidence has been his main struggle, he agreed, saying: “Yeah, I would definitely say that because each week is a new dance and it feels like you’re back in square one again, and you’re learning a different hold or a different feeling.
“And for some of it, you kind of have to act the dances. So confidence for me, I’m certainly out of my comfort zone.
“If you put me in front of a lion charging at me with a camera I’d be like ‘cool’, I know what that’s going to do and I’m confident there.
“Whereas here, I’m in clothes that I would never normally wear, I’m doing stuff that I wouldn’t normally do.”
Molly Rainford:
Molly Rainford has said her “rocky journey” on Strictly Come Dancing motivated her to come back stronger each week. The TV presenter and singer, 22, has battled through four of the dreaded dance-offs while on the BBC show to claim a place in the grand finale on Saturday where she will compete to win the coveted glitterball trophy with her professional partner Carlos Gu.
Rainford feels her theatre school background may have been a factor in why she did not receive as many public votes but she insisted she did not come into the show as a trained dancer.
Speaking ahead of the final, she said: “Honestly, I never had any confidence in dance at school and the beauty of going to a theatre school meant that I could work while I was there so the majority of my time I was actually going out (on jobs).
“I did Friday Download when I was at school, CBBC and loads of different things. And also, because I’m a singer, I was doing a lot of writing sessions on those days when we did get vocational classes so I wasn’t missing out on academics.”
She also revealed that the week they went back and visited her former teachers at Sylvia Young Theatre School they questioned why she had signed up for the show as they said she had skipped all the dance classes.
Rainford added that due to the nature of the show, it could be a whole range of factors that influence the public vote.
“You just never know what people are voting for really”, she said, “and then I think, again, that’s what makes the show so cool because it is really down to what the public think.
“They might love your dress that week, they might love the song choice, they might just particularly like quicksteps, or whatever it is.
“I think that’s so cool about the show because it really means anyone can do anything.”
She also feels those moments in the bottom two have helped her resilience.
“We’ve had a rocky journey on this show and I am so grateful for those ones because it really made me motivated to come back stronger and it also made us stronger as a partnership, I think,” she said.
“And the fact that we’ve got to this position and through audience vote just means the absolute world.”
Fleur East:
Former X Factor contestant and singer Fleur East has said she is “not going to lose her power” despite being told to control it on occasion during her time on Strictly Come Dancing .
The singer and radio DJ, 35, has delivered a number of standout performances during her time on the BBC show, including receiving the only perfect score of 40 for the whole 2022 series.
She will now compete against three other couples in the show’s grand finale on Saturday for the coveted glitterball trophy with her professional dance partner Vito Coppola.
Reflecting on the judges’ comments on her power during the dance competition, she said: “I mean, I didn’t even know about this power until I came to Strictly . I’ve never heard the word so many times.
“I just think it’s something that gets me through life. I’ve faced so many challenges, losing my dad was the biggest challenge, Strictly is probably a close second to that. My power, I guess, is what gets me through, it’s like my superpower.
“I don’t know how I get through every day. People ask me ‘How are you doing your radio show? How are doing Strictly for three months and juggling all these things?’, and I guess that’s my inner strength, that is my power and I never want to lose that.”
She added: “I remember Motsi (Mabuse) saying ‘Maybe it’s just something we’re not used to seeing and don’t lose your power’.
“I think all of the constructive criticism from the judges, to be honest with you, has been tough, but it has made me who I am now and it’s made me the dancer that I am now, and I wouldn’t have been able to do some of the dances we’ve done without their feedback.
“It’s been tough love because, without their guidance, and without all of the notes they’ve given me, I wouldn’t be able to dance like I am now. So, I’m grateful for the whole experience and I’m not going to lose the power, I’ll keep the power.”
READ MORE:
65p kitchen ingredient can de-ice driveways and pavements in seconds
Nottingham's Winter Wonderland attracts mixed reviews on Tripadvisor
Nottingham's Victoria Centre announces Christmas opening hours
Nottingham family in limbo and unable to sell home as 'corner of living room' doesn't belong to them
