Dancing With The Stars 2025 winner revealed after ‘extraordinary' final dance

News.com.au

3 days ago

The winner of this year's season of Dancing With The Stars was announced during Monday's grand finale, with hosts Sonia Kruger and Chris Brown revealing the winners to be …
Home and Away star Kyle Shilling and his dance partner, Lily Cornish.
The pair had earned a perfect score of 40 from the judges during the finale, beating out second-place-getters Shaun Micallef and his dance partner Ash-Leigh Hunter, who scored 37.
Shilling and Cornish had wowed the judges with a cultural performance to Mo'ju's Native Tongue, with Kyle playing the didgeridoo live.
Judge Helen Richey called it 'one of the best performances' she's ever seen on any series of the show.
A former member of Bangarra Dance Theatre, soap star Kyle is a descendant of the Widjubal clan in the Bundjalung Nation.
And it seemed viewers were just as happy with the result: For once, the winner of Dancing With The Stars appeared to be a completely non-controversial pick in the eyes of fans of the show.
Instagram posts announcing the winner last night were flooded with supportive comments from viewers congratulating the pair, and raving about their spectacular final dance.
'I knew you'd win. Did such an amazing job,' one wrote.
Another viewer called the pair's final performance 'extraordinary and spiritual.'
'That wasn't just a performance — it was a powerful expression of culture, love, and pride. You brought your whole heart and honoured your roots in such a moving, authentic way,' another viewer raved.
'This has to be the most powerful performance I've ever seen on Dancing With The Stars,' another fan declared.
'Cried. Goosebumps. Spectacular,' commented another.
One other viewer suggested Shilling's 'didgeridoo skills need to be showcased on Home & Away.'
A 'humbled' Kyle said after the win that he was feeling 'mixed emotions' as it meant his time on the show had come to an end.
'We built such a strong family here and you can see all the beautiful people behind us. It's amazing to be able to stand here and hold this trophy, knowing all the hard work we put in has paid off,' he said.
Shilling was awarded $20,000 for his chosen charity, The Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
The final leaderboard for the night:
Kyle Shilling and Lily Cornish: 40
Shaun Micallef and Ash-Leigh Hunter: 37
Trent Cotchin and Jess Raffa: 35
Felicity Ward and Aric Yegudkin: 33
Brittany Hockley and Craig Monley: 32