Scandal-hit Strictly Come Dancing scoops a BAFTA TV Award for Chris McCausland's 'blackout' waltz as triumphant Dianne Buswell calls it a 'story of hope and determination'
If winning under a cloud of controversy wasn't enough, Dianne Buswell and Chris McCausland stirred the proverbial pot on Sunday evening by winning Best TV Moment at the TV BAFTA Awards.
Professional dancer Buswell was given short odds of winning the Strictly Come Dancing Glitter Ball after being paired with comedian McCausland, 47, who lost his sight at the age of 22 due to genetic condition retinitis pigmentosa.
But a series of impressive performances, consistently high scores and McCausland's self-deprecating brand of humour culminated in the pair defying critics and lifting the trophy after beating JB Gill, Tasha Ghouri and Sarah Hadland in the series 22 finale.
In front of a full house at London's Royal Festival Hall on Sunday, the feat claimed further accolades by claiming a TV BAFTA - just months after Strictly Come Dancing battled back from a string of very public controversies.
The show won Best TV Moment for McCausland's moving 'blackout' waltz to You'll Never Walk Alone - choreographed to highlight his visual impairment and echo a similar routine performed by deaf contestant Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021.
While the comic was absent, a triumphant Buswell, 36, was on hand to personally accept the award and show it off backstage in the winners room.
Strictly earned the accolade after beating pivotal scenes from Bridgerton, Gavin & Stacey, Mr. Bates vs The Post Office, Rivals and The Traitors to the award.
Australian dancer Buswell was accompanied by her long-term boyfriend and former Strictly Come Dancing partner Joe Sugg as they greeted photographers on the red carpet earlier that night.
In September, McCausland won plaudits from Strictly viewers by paying tribute to Liverpool - his home city - with a solo waltz before quietly asking Buswell: 'Did I do OK?'
It was a rare moment of sunshine for the show after it pushed ahead with its 22nd series despite being hit with a wave of unsavoury allegations that began in May 2024 with fan favourite Giovanni Pernice accused of backstage bullying.
Pernice quit the show and faced an internal probe that later exonerated him of any wrongdoing after former celebrity partner Amanda Abbington claimed she was left with post traumatic stress disorder as a result of his 'militant approach to training '.
A source told The Sun at the time: 'Gio feels the scrutiny on him has become too much and now is the time to make a fresh start.
'He wants to focus on other TV projects, and feels he's achieved all he can on Strictly, having won the trophy back in 2021 and reaching the final an unprecedented four times.
'He remains adamant he's done nothing wrong other than being a hard taskmaster, but knows his style of training isn't to everyone's liking - especially in this day and age.'
Worse would follow, with Graziano di Prima fired by BBC bosses over claims of 'physically and verbally abusive' behaviour towards celebrity dance partner Zara McDermott.
Addressing his exit from the show, a 'devastated' Graziano later wrote on Instagram: 'I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly.
'My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.
'While respecting the BBC HR process, I acknowledge it's only right for the sake of the show that I step away. I am saddened that I wasn't allowed to offer a quote to the online news stories, and I take on board the sensitivity of the situation.
'There's more to this story that I am unable to discuss at this time, but I am committed to being strong for my family and friends. I wish the Strictly family nothing but success in the future.'
Worse would follow, with Graziano di Prima fired by BBC bosses over claims of 'physically and verbally abusive' behaviour towards celebrity dance partner Zara McDermott
Overlooking the controversy as she accepted the award on behalf of McCausland on Sunday evening, Buswell said: 'In one minute and 30 seconds of a dance, I feel like this told such a story.
'A story of hope, determination, resilience and vulnerability.
'This moment meant so much to the both of us, so I'm just so thrilled that we have this.'
Ending with a comedic message from her former dance partner, she added: 'Chris did have something he wanted me to say, and that is "after 22 years in comedy, he wins a Bafta for dancing"'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
18 minutes ago
- The Sun
BGT star looks VERY different in racy new role 13 years after finding fame on show and splitting from partner
A POPULAR Britain's Got Talent star looks VERY different in her new racy new role. It has been 13-years since this performer found fame as part of a singing duo on BGT, and is now a West End star after splitting from her partner. 7 7 7 The star in question is Charlotte Jaconelli. The singer, now 29, was just 16 years old when she auditioned for Simon Cowell as one half of singing duo Jonathan and Charlotte, alongside her friend Jonathan Antoine. The singing pair won over the judges with their rendition of Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion 's duet The Prayer in their audition, and made it to the finals. They eventually finished as runners up on the 2012 series, narrowly losing out on the win to Ashleigh Butler and her dog Pudsey. Charlotte said at the time: "Oh my God, we came second. It's incredible." Today, the performer looks a world away from her BGT days - and is now a megastar on London 's West End. In fact, she has revealed her next racy role which sees her transformed into a sex siren. Announcing her big news, Charlotte shared a VERY sexy snap of herself in costume, as she gets ready to star in Burlesque The Musical. The star shared some behind-the-scenes snaps, which included her in an eyepopping leotard which she almost spilling out of. Her sexy look was completed with a pair of black tights. Announcing her exciting news, Charlotte told her fans: "IT'S BURLESQUE! Meet Queenie - My theatre fairy god mother @todrick keeping me busy and singing notes as high as my heels. "See you at The Savoy this summer to bring the iconic @burlesquethemusicaluk to the main stage. "Hold your hats for the genius of @stevenantin & Miss Hall…it's gonna be FABULOUS." LIFE AFTER BGT After making a huge impression on BGT viewers, Jonathan and Charlotte, who first met when they were 11 years old at school, went on a UK arena tour. 7 7 7 The singing duo then recorded their first album, Together, in 2012 for Simon Cowell's label Syco. Their second album, Perhaps Love, was released a year later in October 2013. However, the pair went their separate ways in 2014 after they were both offered solo record deals by Sony Deals. But despite starting their journey together, Jonathan previously admitted that the duo were no longer as close. Asked by ITV's Lorraine if they were "still pals" in 2017, he admitted: "We don't really get to speak very often but that's the nature of it. "You don't really get the time to speak to your friends, my family comes everywhere with me and they're my longevity." BECOMING A WEST END STAR After going solo, Charlotte headed for the bright lights of the West End, and has since become a successful theatre star. She made her debut in 2018 as part of the original cast of The Boy in the Dress. Since then, Charlotte has appeared in Heathers: The Musical, and Sunset Boulevard alongside Nicole Scherzinger. Timeline of BGT Winners Britain's Got Talent has been thrilling fans since it burst onto the scene in 2007. Here we take a look at all the BGT winners - from the first ever one to the most recent: 2007: Paul Potts - The first ever winner of BGT was opera singer Paul Potts. He saw off competition from Connie Talbot, The Bar Wizards, Bessie Cursors, Damon Scott and Kombat Breakers to win. 2008: George Sampson - In series two of Britain's Got Talent a young George Sampson wowed judges and viewers with his impressive dance moves. 2009: Diversity - Dance troupe Diversity scooped the BGT crown and beat of competition from singer Susan Boyle, who was strongly tipped to win the show. 2010 - Spellbound: Gymnastic troupe Spellbound really impressed judge Simon Cowell with their stunning routines and incredible stunts in 2010. At the time, the music mogul said: 'I can only say on live television that was one of the most astonishing things I have ever seen.' 2011 - Jai McDowall: Viewers were stunned when Jai McDowall won the show in 2011, as young singer Ronan Parke was the favourite to win the series. 2012 - Ashleigh and Pudsy: Ashleigh Butler and her adorable pooch Pudsey stole hearts when they performed in series six of the talent show. 2013 - Attraction: Hungarian shadow artist group Attraction won the seventh series of Britain's Got Talent. The squad had taken part in the German version of BGT in 2012, however, they had only placed seventh. 2014 - Collabro: Classical music band Collabro faced tough competition in the 2014 final as all the finalist were singers, but they went on to scoop the crown. 2015 - Jules O'Dwyer & Matisse: Dog lovers everywhere could't get enough of Jules O'Dwyer and pet pup Matisse. The impressive duo even performed on a tightrope to secure their win. 2016 - Richard Jones: Army man Richard Jones became the first magician in the show's history to win Britain's Got Talent. 2017 - Tokio Myers: Pianist Tokio Myers impressed the judges with his blend of classical and electronic music. 2018 - Lost Voice Guy: Stand-up comedian Lost Voice Guy, who performs with a speech synthesiser, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was six months old. However, he defied the odds and is a BGT champ. 2019 - Colin Thackery: Veteran army officer Colin Thackery warmed the nations hearts with his singing voice. He was crowned winner of BGT after singing Michael Ball's Love Changes Everything. 2020 - Jon Courtenay: Singer and pianist Jon Courtenay was Ant and Dec's Golden Buzzer act. After he won the £250,000 prize he said: ""Just amazing, I can't believe it." 2022 - Axel Blake: Comedian Axel Blake scooped the crown after the show was off air for two years during Covid. 2023 - Viggo Venn: Known for his high-vis jackets, comedian Viggo Venn was victorious in 2023. 2024 - Sydnie Christmas: The reigning champ is singer Sydnie Christmas.
Daily Mirror
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Shirley Ballas gets tattoo in honour of late brother who died by suicide
Strictly Come Dancing star Shirley Ballas has taken part in a tattoo charity fundraiser to help raise money and awareness for the anti-suicide charity CALM Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has got a tattoo in honour of her late brother - and to raise funds for a mental health charity. The 64-year-old TV star was left devastated in 2003 when her brother, David, took his own life at the age of 44. Shirley has discussed her love for her brother and her sadness over her loss in the past - as well as highlighting the fact that he struggled with depression in order to help others find the help they need. On Saturday, the dance expert got a tattoo of her late brother's first and second initials as well as his last name, Rich. Taking to Instagram, Shirley posed alongside tattooist Tal Booker, 31, the brother of Love Island star Eyal Booker, 29, and showed off her new inking. She wrote alongside the post: "A tattoo for my brother… thank you @talbooker honoured to be tattoo number 2 of 24 in your @calmzone #TattooAThon." Shirley previously discussed her loss on the Great Company podcast, revealing her family battled to have her brother get help before his tragic suicide. She said: "I was wrapped up in my life, because at that time, I had two other children I was taking care of, plus my own son, and they were all dancers, and I was just wrapped up in my world of ballroom dancing. "I was in London. He was up north, and my mother went to stay with him for six weeks. But my mother's old school, and they don't share. So, what I should have done then, if I look back now, is gotten the car straight away and gone to see the situation for myself. He was just in a bad place. "He explained it like being in a dark, black hole that he couldn't climb out of. He'd lost a lot of weight, and the doctors couldn't help him. "We tried to get him sectioned, and when, apparently, I wasn't there, but my mum was. When they took him in the car and they pulled up to the hospital, he recognized somebody that was stood on the steps, and he was too he was the macho man on the housing estate, and he was too embarrassed, he made them turn the car around. "So had she not been there that day, then maybe things could have been different. And it just nobody talked about things like that. No one talked about things like that at all, and they just popped in with pills, you know, like these antidepressants." And expressing her sadness over David's death, she said: "'I still remember the morning it happened. I call my mum to say that Mark, my son, would be performing at St Paul's church in London, and maybe they both like to come down for the day. "And my brother said, no, no, no, no, I'm feeling much better now. But you go mum, and against her better judgment, she didn't want to go. And I pushed her to go a little bit because she'd been there, you know, and was having this tough time. David didn't want to go, and it was that they chose to do that. "So, for that, I will live with for the rest of my life. She blames herself, but I blame myself because I was the one pushing her to go. She felt she shouldn't have left." Meanwhile, Tal has set out to raise funds for the anti-suicide charity CALM where he has planned to tattoo 24 designs within 24 hours. He explained via Instagram previously: "The most likely thing to kill a young person is themselves, and around 18 people day in the UK die by suicide. One of the ways we can change that, is by talking about it. "That's why I've teamed up with @calmzone to do a 24 hour tattoo-a-thon on the 7th and 8th June. To raise vital funds and start important conversations. "If you'd like to get involved or show your support, head over to to register your interest or donate at the link in my bio. Just £12.20 is enough to fund one potentially life saving call."
The Sun
33 minutes ago
- The Sun
Gogglebox star reveals heartbreaking death for major family on the series
A GOGGLEBOX star has revealed his family heartache after a devestating death rocked the clan. Tom Malone Jnr took to Instagram to share their sad news. 4 4 4 The former Goggleboxer confirmed the family's beloved dog, Bob, had passed away. Tom shared a series of snaps alongside Bob, including one of him as just a puppy. In another photography, Tom could be seen beaming as he sat proudly at the side of Bob. Confirming the sad death, he captioned the series of photos: "Good boy Bob….Rest easy big man." The Manchester based Malone clan have been fan favourites on the Channel 4 programme for over 10 years and are regularly accompanied by their dogs on the family sofa. One fan commented underneath the snap: "Sending the family love." Before someone else added: "There are no words my fiend, seeing so much love to you all, I'm so sorry xx." As a third added: "He's up there with dave." Dave was the Malone family's other pet pooch who usually sat with them as they tuned into that week's television. Dave passed away in October 2023. Gogglebox star takes swipe at his ex after devastating split Julie Malone also shared her tribute to the dog as she revealed how Bob had spent his final days. Alongside her own snaps of the pooch, matriach Julie wrote:" Today we sad goodbye to our beautiful protective Bobby. "He spent his last day doing what he loved , watching over the Grandchildren playing in the garden. "We are heartbroken, RIP our beautiful Big Bob xx." 4
