Strictly Come Dancing winner Ore Oduba has said Saturday night’s victory was “the most unexpected moment” of his life.
The BBC sports presenter upset bookmakers’ predictions to waltz off with the glitterball trophy. Oduba and his professional partner, Joanne Clifton, beat former Eternal singer Louise Redknapp and Hollyoaks actor Danny Mac in a finale watched by 13.1 million viewers.
The final also marked the last live show of head judge Len Goodman, who is stepping down after 12 years.
Speaking after the result was announced, Oduba said the victory “doesn’t make any sense”, adding: “I cannot believe it, we did not even consider this [winning], not even for a single week of this.”
Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls, whose routines on the show had appalled the judges, captivated the nation and almost saw him reach the quarter-finals, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that he had expected Redknapp to win. “Going into the final, Louise clearly had the edge. She’d never been in the dance-off and had clearly struck a chord with lots of people around the country,” he wrote.
Mac was “definitely banging on the door to win”, Balls added. But Oduba, who had no previous dance experience, had improved the most over the course of the series “and because the show is importantly about the amateur improving, that was Ore’s calling card”. Balls reprised his unforgettable Gangnam Style dance for the finale’s group-dance performance.
Ladbrokes ranked Oduba as a 7/1 outsider, writing before the finale that it was a “toss-up between long-time favourite Danny Mac and Louise Redknapp”.
But on the night, Oduba and Clifton narrowly beat their rivals, scoring two perfect 40s and dropping a single point for their revisiting of Singing in the Rain, which was watched by Gene Kelly’s widow, Patricia, in the audience.
After the victory, Oduba praised his wife, Portia, for being his “anchor” and described how much it meant to have his parents, who had travelled from Nigeria, in the audience.
Oduba said: “She’s supported us so much and just been my absolute anchor, and my mum and dad just being here, they’ve sacrificed so much, both of our parents have sacrificed so much for us in our lives, so for them to be here and see this, the most unexpected moment of my life, is just incredible.”
Oduba said he was looking forward to Christmas and planned to take a two-week holiday. He will return to sports presenting but intends to dance for the rest of his life. “I can’t think of a time when I will not be dancing now. It’s just, it is in me now, I can’t not dance,” he said.
Clifton paid tribute to her older brother Kevin, who partnered Redknapp in his fourth final but has yet to win the trophy. “I just said sorry to him because he’s made four finals and he’s never won it yet,” she said, adding: “I was away from my family for 14 years living in Italy and I didn’t see him that much and since I’ve come back, he’s been a big brother to me again.”
Oduba said he was looking forward to reuniting with the cast for the Strictly tour, which starts in Birmingham next month. “We don’t get to see the fans who’ve been so supportive of us on this journey so to be able to go out and show it to people in January through to March will be amazing because they love this show,” he said.
Oduba added: “Len will be there, we’re going to give him another swan song, it’s going to be exceptional and I can’t wait.”