Coronation Street star crowned winner of Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special after getting perfect score

The winner of the Strictly Come Dancing 2022 Christmas special has been crowned. Former Coronation Street star Alexandra Mardell and her dance partner Kai Widdrington lifted the Silver Star trophy. The pair danced a Quickstep to 'Sleigh Ride’ by The Ronettes and wowed all four judges with their performance, scoring the perfect 40.

Upon being told that she'd won, Alexandra, who played Emma Brooker in Coronation Street between 2018 and 2022 said: “I am so shocked, I cannot thank you enough. I’m so happy about that, I did that for you [Kai] as well, I can’t believe it.” It was the studio audience who voted for her as winner.

This year's Christmas special saw Alexandra joined by fellow celebrities Larry Lamb, Rosie Ramsey, George Ramsay, Ricky Haywood-Williams and Nicola Roberts. You can read more about all the contestants and their dance partners here.

Read more: BBC The One Show: Nicola Roberts' brutal response to working with Giovanni Pernice on Strictly Christmas special

The couple's Quickstep went down a storm (BBC/Guy Levy)

The Christmas special started with a group routine to a festive medley of 'Let It Snow', 'The Nutcracker Suite' and 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town', featuring the celebrities and their professional partners. Each couple then took to the dance floor to perform their individual seasonal routines.

The special episode ended with a musical performance from former Strictly judge, Bruno Tonioli. He sang his version of 'Don’t Leave Me This Way' by The Communards, accompanied by professional dancers Dianne Buswell, Cameron Lombard, Nikita Kuzmin, Michelle Tsiakkas, Karen Hauer and Lauren Oakley. To close the show in true Strictly style, the couples and judges all graced the ballroom once more for a Christmas cracker of a performance to 'All You Need is Love' by The Beatles.

Did the right person win? Let us know in the comments. Catch up on the Strictly Come Dancing: Christmas Special 2022 on BBC iPlayer. You can get more TV news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.

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