Extraordinary Joe
Holby City star who began as rank outsider crowned the king of Strictly
IT WAS the night the dark horse finally broke through and galloped to victory.
Holby City star Joe McFadden was last night crowned the King of Strictly Come Dancing, despite starting the contest as a rank outsider.
Joe, 42, and his Russianborn partner Katya Jones triumphed in what was the most eagerly anticipated final in years.
More than 11 million fans were expected to tune into last night’s spectacular, which was decided solely by the votes of viewers.
Each of the four finalists performed a brand-new showdance and then reprised two routines from the series.
Joe and Katya danced a Viennese waltz to Somewhere My Love from Doctor Zhivago, a showdance to You Make My Dreams by Hall & Oates, and a Charleston to Alexander’s Ragtime Band by Ella Fitzgerald.
The Scot struggled to make a mark early in the competition but the couple’s romantic routine to the theme from Doctor Zhivago caught the attention of the judges in week three and they began to refer to Joe as a ‘dark horse’.
Speaking before last night’s show, he paid tribute to Katya, saying: ‘Everyone has their own teaching style. Katya is like, “Do it until you get it right.” It’s been the best for me. She was exactly the sort of teacher I needed.’
Fellow finalist Debbie McGee, 59, and her partner Giovanni Pernice danced a salsa to Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Boys Town Gang, a showdance to One Day I’ll Fly Away by Vaults, and an Argentine tango to Por Una Cabeza by Carlos Gardel and Alfredo Le Pera.
Alexandra Burke and Gorka Marquez impressed with an American smooth to My Fair Lady’s Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, a showdance to There’s No Business Like Showbusiness by Ethel Merman, and a jive to Proud Mary by Tina Turner.
Meanwhile, Gemma Atkinson and Aljaz Skorjanec performed a paso doble to Viva La Vida by Coldplay, a showdance to Show Me How You Burlesque by Christina Aguilera, and an American smooth to Downtown by Petula Clark.
Last night’s show brought the curtain down on the 15th series of Strictly which has been a ratings smash, easily seeing off the challenge of The X Factor.