Strictly Come Dancing 2015: Grand Final, as it happened

You can tweet me your comments, questions, queries and snap judgements on tonight's Grand Final @Ellie_Wa or post in the comments box below.

22:14

It's been a pleasure checking in with you every Saturday evening. I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have!

Do keep tweeting me your thoughts on this year's series. Strictly withdrawal is real, so let's ease ourselves out of it's sparkly bubble.

And, until next time, keeeeeep dancing!

Ellie x

22:10

And I'll try not to follow Jay's lead and get all emotional. But that's it. This is Strictly Come Dancing over for another year.

It's been a brilliant series, full of brilliant dancers. We've seen Craig Revel Horwood sail down from the Blackpool Tower ceiling on a guitar, Jeremy Vine dance in purple sequins, Carol Kirkwood shimmy across the floor and Helen George pout as Marilyn Monroe.

And he might not have scored a perfect 40, but Jay's week three Jive remains one of the standout moments.

22:09

So what do you think of tonight's results? Are Jay and Aliona the couple you wanted to lift the Glitterball Trophy?

I'd love to hear what you have to say. Post your thoughts in the comments box below or tweet me. I'm @Ellie_Wa!

22:09

Tears all round as Jay and Aliona light the Glitterball Trophy.

Anyone else in need of a tissue?

22:06

Our winner Jay McGuiness feels "spaced out" after his win. He looks teary and incredibly shocked.

"You deserve it so much," he says to professional partner Aliona, who is now the first professional to ever win the Glitterball Trophy more than once.

"It's been one of the most pseicl things that I've ever done and with the most special person... We're really happy that you liked it," says Jay to the audience, as his voice breaks.

There's a lot of emotion on that dance floor!

22:05

"All I wanted was to get to the final," says a smiley Georgia, while Kellie adds: "I've had the best time, I really have. I'm glad I got to see it through to the end."

22:05

JAY AND ALIONA!

22:04

And the winner is...

22:00

Yes, they are all winners, Carol Kirkwood. But the actual winner? Quite keen to find out who that is...

21:58

I don't mean to sound impatient. But I do wish they'd just hurry up and tell us... We've waited 14 weeks for this moment.

21:57

Just a quick look at the Strictly Christmas special and THEN we'll find out who won?

21:55

It's a live-action montage of the best Strictly moments from across series 13, complete with green peppers, red tomatoes, life-sized horses and thunder clouds. Plus some seriously impressive lifts.

21:54

Let's forget about that for now! The stars of Strictly past are back to perform another final group routine.

21:53

Jay McGuiness, Kellie Bright or Georgia May Foote. Who will be the champion of Strictly Come Dancing 2015?

21:49

The vote is now closed! We've got our winner. There are mere minutes until we find out who it is...

21:45

I'm finding tonight tough to call. If you base it on the entire series, Jay could very well be our winner, but this evening Kellie is miles ahead.

Jay's clearly got the support of the public. He's never been in the dance-off while Kellie has.

And then there's Georgia. It really could be any of them.

21:41

Let's look at the final leaderboard. Kellie is on top with an accumulated score of 119, Georgia is in second place with 112 and Jay is in third with 110.

But, remember, it's all about the public vote tonight...

21:37

That's IT. The dancing is over. Now all that stands between our finalists and the Glitterball is 10 minutes of voting. Who else feels little emotional?

21:35

The scores are in... It's a 9 from Craig, 10 from Darcey, 10 from Len and 10 from Bruno. A total of 39. A near perfect Grand Final for the EastEnder and her dancer from Grimsby.

21:31

It's as fun and confident as ever. But what do the judges think?

"You are one of the most exciting performers I've been witness to," says Craig. "You energy and your commitment to this show... unbelievable."

"You're definitely the princess of precision," adds Darcey. "How clean your footwork is... it's so precise. You cannot fault it. It's perfection."

"You put the Star in Star Wars. I love you to. You bring joy to my heart," says Len. "On my opinion, you deserve to win."

"It's even better the second time around," says Bruno. "What I've liked about you two over the season is the quirky details you put in... You continue to surprise me."

21:30

Kellie is the last finalist to take to the floor. She'll be dancing her Star Wars-inspired Charleston again. She first performed this routine in week 3 and was awarded 32 points for her efforts. Can she score her third 40 of the night...?

21:26

The scores are in... It's a 10 from Craig, 10 from Darcey, 10 from Len and a 10 from Bruno. It's a full forty for Team GG!

21:21

It's another brilliant performance. But it was brilliant the first time we saw it. Will the judges think they are worthy of a 40...?

"This really was a sparkly cracker of a Charleston. It has to be one of my favourite numbers of the season," says Bruno. "I love you, my dear."

"You have been extraordinary and you have had one of the biggest journeys we've had," says Craig, praising her acting.

"I would be very, very proud to put you in any of my West End shows," he adds while Georgia promptly bursts into tears.

"It was full of the naughty little Georgia we like," adds Darcey. "You nailed it."

"As you were dancing I wrote down 'pure joy'," concludes Len. "If ever I'm asked what makes a good Charleston I'll say, just watch Georgia and Giovanni's."

21:19

Georgia is up next. For her final number she'll be repeating her Chicago-inspired Charleston. They scored 39 last time, can they up it to a 40 this time around?

21:17

The scores: 9, 10, 10, 10. So Jay ends the competition on 39. His last dance, still shy of the full 40. You old meanie, Craig...

21:12

Jay looks like he's enjoying himself on the floor more than he ever has before. Their Paso is sharp, precise and strong. It's much more dynamic than it was the first time we saw it. That's the kind of punchy performance we wanted in the Showdance!

"From week one you've been the most consistent of all the couples," says Len. "Every dance you 've come out and given it your all, and this is no exception... it was a great Paso Doble and I've loved watching you."

"Bigger, better, more loaded with power and artistry than ever," adds Bruno, praising his impressive arm work.

"When you first started you had absolutely no personality, now you have drive, you have passion. You dance brilliantly and I love, love, love to watch you," says Craig.

"I can see there is a very sensitive man within, but the confidence you bought onto that dance floor," concludes Darcey. "You are number one in my book."

21:09

Right, back to the dancing! Jay is back on the floor first. He's dancing his and Aliona's choice this time around: their Paso Doble.

Who else secretly wishes they were repeating that week three Jive instead?

21:07

And then there were three... Each of the remaining couples will now perform another routine. But there's no need to wait for that. The vote is now open again so you can keep voting for your favourites!

21:04

Katie and Anton are the first couple to leave the competition this evening, making Kellie, Georgia and Jay our final three.

They are leaving in fourth place, to a standing ovation from the audience and judges.

"I'm pleased as punch to be here. I can't believe I'm here in the final," says Katie. "I've learned to dance and for that I have Anton to thank. This is the right decision. These guys are unbelievably awesome."

"You taught me to dance. Thank you!" she added to Anton. "You have been unbelievably patient. We have laughed and laughed and laughed... I'm so grateful."

21:04

Gosh. Anyone else feeling a bit nervous?

21:02

Right, we're about to find out who's made it to the final three. Just time for a quick montage first...

20:56

Hope everyone is fed, watered and suitably excited. Welcome back for the second part of tonight's Strictly Grand Final.

The Results Show will see us bid a final farewell to one of our four finalists, before the remaining three dance again for the Glitterball Trophy...

20:45

15 minutes until we find out who's made it to the final three. Kellie might be top of the leaderboard, but #JayfortheGlitterball is trending on Twitter.

Does he have this Strictly win in the bag?

19:59

Right. So, we don't have to wait until tomorrow to find out who's won, the Results Show is on at 9:00pm tonight. You really don't want to miss it.

I'll see you back here in an hour, Strictly fans! x

19:57

It's ALL down to the public vote tonight, and it will be frozen at 8:30pm so get voting.

19:55

That's it for a little while. Quick, someone pop the kettle on!

There's more dancing to come, but not for everyone. At the start of the next show (9:00pm tonight, so don't go too far!) one of the finalists will be eliminated, leaving the final three to perform another time before the winner is crowned.

19:53

That's it for the first part of tonight's Strictly spectacular. Here's how the leaderboard looks: Kellie's on top with a combined score of 80. Georgia's second with 72, while Jay's got 71. Katie and Anton are still bringing up the rear with a score of 62.

19:52

The scores are in! 7 from Craig, 8 from Darcey, 8 from Len, 8 from Bruno. It's 31 again. Nice and consistent.

19:48

"Oh wow. My!" smiles Darcey, praising the intensity and drama. "I felt a little tension of nerves... but you kept your poise and you kept your elegance."

"There was plenty going on," says Len. "Anton, I never knew!"

The music overpowered the dance, he reckons, but the audience disagree, booing loudly.

"The goddess of fire and thunder," purrs Bruno. "Without stumbles there would be no drama, would there?"

"I really didn't take to it at all," concludes Craig. "It was rigid, it was stiff." He reckons she just doesn't possess the level of skill the other finalists do, but he's not all criticism. "You have done yourself proud," he adds. "You have put yourself into it 100%... I'm very, personally, proud of you."

19:46

Katie Derham's dancing her Showdance next. There's fire, capes and regal costumes. It might not be as technically perfect as something like Jay's but it's certainly showy.

She performs the ultimate trust test at the end, tumbling backwards into his arms from the stage.

19:43

The scores? It's full marks across the board yet again. Another full 40 for Kellie Bright.

If the judges scores counted tonight, Kellie would already have her hands on that Glitterball Trophy!

19:40

Their performance is fun and HUGELY energetic. Kellie looks like Kevin's equal. She's an absolute joy to watch and certainly deserves a spot in the final three.

"OMG darling. A-may-zing," smiles Craig.

"It was extraordinary," shouts Darcey. "You brought everything you could to that dance."

"If Kevin's Ding Dong Daddy, you are the belle of the ball. That's a Showdance!" says Len.

"That was an exhilarting Showdance... That's how a champion wins," says Bruno.

Is she set for another 40? I think so...

19:36

Kellie Bright is dancing her Showdance next. It's a style we don't have on Strictly: the Lindy Hop. So brace yourselves for tricks and flicks!

19:36

The scores are in... 9 from Craig, 9 from Darcey, 9 from Len and 9 from Bruno. Total of 36, the same as their first dance of the night.

19:33

"Fifty shades of green," smiles Bruno. "I loved the chemistry, I loved the intensity, I loved the storytelling."

"I did enjoy it," adds Craig. "Specifically the blindfold section I thought was absolutely wonderful.... Fantastic, well done."

"It was such a wonderful, wonderful start," says Darcey. "It was lyrical, it was smooth."

"It had a great intensity about it," says Len calling it "charming". "It was a great dance and you are a lovely ballroom dancer."

19:31

Georgia's blindfolded for her Showdance. I repeat, she can't see. Giovanni's flinging her around, lifting her above his head and she can't see a thing.

The rest of their dance is more traditional. It's full of neat spins, pretty lines and lots of emotion.

19:30

Georgia's up next and it sounds like her Showdance will be impressing the judges. It's already provoked tears in the training room...

19:28

The scores? 8 from Craig, 9 from Darcey, 9 from Len, 9 from Bruno. That's 35. One point less than his first dance of the night. And miles off a full marks. But he's still got one more chance to bag that illusive 40. If he makes it through to the final three, that is...

19:22

Jay's dance starts with him hanging upside down and ends with a confident hand running through his hair, Pulp Fiction-style. It's lovely to watch, but there's nothing jaw-dropping there. The audience love it though. What do the judges think?

"It was like a trip down memory lane," says Len. "I would have liked a bit more show in the Showdance... It's a Showdance, I wanted it more exciting for me!"

"I think I got wrong-footed," adds Bruno. "It was a pix 'n' mix of Ballroom dancing... very well put together, very, very well danced." But he was distracted by the hanging upside down.

"I was disappointed. I know you're capable of so much more," adds Craig, calling it a bit of a "cop out". "For me, it wasn't, as Len says, a Showdance."

"You're definitely the cool cat of technique. The way you delivered all of those moves was spectacular," concludes Darcey. "I think we wanted a little surprise and even though it was seamless, you needed to go out with a bang."

19:21

Next up, Jay's performing his Showdance. It's made up of sections of the dances he's learnt so far, including that Jive. Keep your eyes peeled, peeps!

19:17

We are half way through the first of tonight's terribly exciting shows and the vote is NOW LIVE.

Kellie and Kevin are currently top of the leaderboard, with Jay and Georgia coming in joint second with 36. Katie is brining up the rear with 31 points.

But, remember, the leaderboard is merely for guidance tonight. The power is in our hands!

19:16

The scores are in! 7 from Craig, 8 from Darcey, 8 from Len and 8 from Bruno. 31. Five more than last time. It wasn't quite what she was hoping for, but every little counts!

19:12

There was a little hat mishap early on in the routine, but Katie takes it in her stride. Will the judges think it was an improvement from last time?

"You never fail to be this beautiful party lady," smiles Darcey. "You got it nearly all the way through."

Len thought there were a few slip ups but he was a fan.

"You always hit a few bumps here and there," says Bruno.

"You do need to get your prop management together, darling," frowns Craig. "But I have to say this, it was a major improvement on the last time."

19:11

Katie Derham is the last to take to the floor. She's set to re-dance her Quickstep. They got 26 first time around and she's aiming to improve that score by "10 at least!"

19:08

The scores: it's a 10 from Craig, a 10 from Darcey, a 10 from Len and a 10 from Bruno.

WE'VE GOT OUR 40! The first of the series and it's about time too.

19:05

"The characterisation was phenomenal," smiles Craig. "Sharp as you wanted it, clean as you wanted it... it was truly fab-u-lous."

"Your top line is yummy!" grins Darcey. "That was outstanding."

"You've ironed out all the Kinks from week one," adds Len. "Thats was brilliant. That's it."

"That is how you rock a Tango," concludes Bruno. "You never cease to surprise me."

19:03

The strong lines and confident characterisation prove how far Kellie has come since week one. And she's clearly loving being on the floor for the final time. It's a much more confident performance.

19:02

Kellie Bright is taking to the floor next. She's re-dancing her week one Tango. She scored 27 last time, but she's going to "blow our minds" this time, reckons Bruno.

19:00

The scores? 9, 9, 9, 9. It's 36. An improvement of 9 on last time and the same as Jay.

It's good, but we are yet to see a full 40 and I'm getting impatient! Come on, judges. Time to whip out those 10s.

18:58

"Totally smitten by the sex kitten," purrs Bruno. "I thought the dance overall was improved... you were very, very sexy."

"You were using those hips beautifully," says Craig, who loved the intensity, calling the dance "delicious" and "beautiful."

"You have grown into this beautiful, sensual lady," adds Darcey. "It was beautiful, well done."

"Content you couldn't get more," grins Len. "Lovely, lots of content, which is what I asked for... the proof is in the pudding... I don't know about 007, that was 00 heaven."

18:56

It's clear to see how much Georgia has improved, not just as a dancer but as a performance. Second time round this is captivatingly moody and incredibly intimate. I might actually be blushing.

18:54

Georgia will be dancing next. She's dancing the Rumba from week 3.

It was the dance which divided the judges and annoyed head judge Len, scoring just 27. So Giovanni will be injecting a little more Rumba content this time...

18:53

Mary Berry is reading out the terms and conditions, because why not, eh?

18:51

The scores... 9, 9, 9, 9. A solid 36. An improvement of 11 from last time. Good work, chaps!

18:46

It's certainly a more confident and accomplished performance than the once we saw before. He's even smiling, which we all know is a rare occurrence when he's on the floor! He'll definitely be beating his original score of 25...

"There was a couple of little..." frowns Len, but he's not feeling too mean. "It was quick, it was slick, it was a vast improvement on last time around."

"You really are tinkle toes out there," says Bruno, but he thinks a tiny little stumble ruined it.

"It wasn't perfect, we know that," says Craig, adding that he thought he danced around with ease. "You are an absolutely lovely dancer and a joy to watch."

"Top grade," smiles Darcey. "You are under so much pressure tonight... It was divine... even with those tiny mistakes it was fantastic."

I must admit I didn't notice any slip ups. Did you?

18:44

Jay's up first this evening, dancing a dance we've seen before. It's the judge's choice: his Quickstep from week five. He got 25, his lowest score of the series, so there's plenty of room for improvement...

The judges are keen to see the Quickstep at it's "absolute best."

18:41

Remember tonight is a double bill. First up the four finalists will be performing two dances, before one couple goes home. Strictly will then be back at 9:00pm when the final three will perform once again - and one of them will be crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing 2015. It's terribly exciting stuff.

18:38

All our favourite faces from across the series are back for this final group dance. Claud's getting her spray tan. Ainsley, Daniel O'Donnell, Jeremy Vine are dancing in the hallways. Even departing pro Ola Jordan has returned for her final foray.

18:35

And we’re off! This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. The 2015 Strictly Grand Final. We can expect even more sparkle and even darker tans. Maybe even some tears. Because the Glitterball is officially in the building.

18:27

Don't forget, the result of tonight's Grand Final is down to the public vote ALONE. The judges will be scoring the finalists' performances but it's for guidance only.

The power is entirely in our hands, Strictly fans. How does it feel?

18:13

Twenty minutes until kick off, but here's a sneak peak at tonight's live show. It is Christmas after all...

18:02

For those of you assuming tonight's repeat performances will include a rerun of Jay's jaw-droppingly good week three Jive, we've got some disappointing news. Jay and Aliona have decided to confine their Pulp Fiction-inspired number to the Strictly archives. But we will get to see a little snippet of the dance, promises Aliona...

17:32

What are your predictions for tonight? 73% of you thought Jay McGuiness deserved to win the Glitterball Trophy when we polled you earlier this week.

What do you reckon? Let me know in the comments box below or on Twitter. I'm @Ellie_Wa

16:57

The four finalists had quite a lot to say about tonight's Grand Final, but none of it was competitive.

"I still want everyone here to do their best and be happy with what they’ve done. To be honest, we’ve made it this far so we’ve all done it! We’re all winners," Kellie Bright told us.

Fellow finalist Georgia May Foote agrees. She's just amazed she's come this far. "I still can’t believe I’m in the show full stop, let alone the final," she says.

In fact, Katie Derham's already got her hands on a Glitterball: "A friend of mine made me this little necklace, which is a mini Glitterball... so I’ve got a little one already."

As for Jay McGuiness, 2015's only male finalist reckons the shiny trophy is actually "redundant."

"It is a wonderful Glitterball but it’s more for the people. We’ve got what we wanted from the show," the 25-year-old tells us.

16:44

We caught up with the Strictly finalists earlier this week. And I, erm, managed to get up close and personal with the Glitterball Trophy. You know, just to see what it looks like in all its glittery glory. Serious journalism, this.

16:01

The evening will see our stars perform three – yes, THREE – dances. They'll do a Showdance before repeating two dances from across the series, one the couple have chosen themselves and one the judges have selected for them. Naturally, those judges are a secretive lot so we'll have to wait to find out which performance they've chosen, but we've got the low down on the other two...

Georgia and Giovanni will be performing their Showdance to Fix You by Coldplay, while Jay and Aliona are dancing to Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd. Katie and Anton will be performing their to O Fortuna by Carl Orff while Kellie and Kevin will be channelling Ding-Dong Daddy of the D-Car Line by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies for their Showdance.

Here are their choices...