Karen Carney crowned Strictly Come Dancing 2025 as Queen Camilla letter closes final; pension auto-enrolment quirks could affect retirement savings

Karen Carney has won Strictly Come Dancing 2025, delivering an emotional finale in which Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman signed off from the BBC ballroom. The finale featured three performances from each finalist — a judges' choice, their show dance and their favourite dance — before the winner was announced. Carney, 38, was visibly moved as she embraced her pro partner Carlos Gu, telling the audience, 'I cannot believe it. I just wanna say thank you to everybody that's supported our journey, supported us, and, thank you to this wonderful gentleman [Carlos]. We are a team, and, I could not have done this without you, but honestly, I can't believe it, it's been the biggest privilege and honour, and, I literally, I'm lost for words. I'm so sorry.' She later posted on Instagram to thank fans while holding the glitterball trophy.

The evening opened with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who are stepping away from the show after a combined tenure of more than two decades, receiving a special tribute during a montage of this year’s highlights. Craig Revel Horwood delivered a letter from Her Majesty The Queen, read aloud as the TV talent and their professional partners reflected on the show’s friendships, perseverance and shared joy. The note praised the pair as perhaps the greatest Strictly partnership of all, calling them a beacon of warmth and teamwork that helped propel the show’s long-running success.

Ahead of the results, Karen and Carlos were up for a judges’ choice — selected by Motsi Mabuse — that earned the first perfect score of the night as Mabuse chose a tango inspired routine. The dance sequence drew strong reactions from the panel, with the couple earning a standing ovation as the audience felt the intensity of their performance. The show highlighted how the finalists had evolved through the series, with each contestant entertaining audiences while pushing their own limits.

The finale’s climax arrived as Karen and Carlos delivered their last performance, a Jive to Blondie’s One Way or Another that paid homage to Karen’s footballing roots with a sequined football kit. Carlos broke down in tears during the closing moments, telling Claudia how their partnership had transformed him from someone who once doubted his team dynamic. The pair concluded the night with a perfect score, sealing what the show described as one of its most distinctive triumphs in recent memory. Amber Davies and George Clarke also delivered memorable routines, with Amber finishing among the top scorers while George showcased a dramatic, high-energy showcase that underscored the season’s competitive depth.

As the credits rolled, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stood together in tears, reflecting on their long careers hosting the competition. Daly has fronted Strictly for 21 years and 216 days, earning a Guinness World Record for the longest-serving host of the same dance competition. The moment marked the end of an era for the show’s public-facing hosts, who first helped launch the series in 2004 when Daly co-hosted alongside the late Bruce Forsyth.

In the wake of the finale, attention also turned to the broader landscape of personal finance and retirement planning. A separate analysis highlights a long-standing, little-known quirk in auto-enrolment rules that could be trimming workers’ pension pots by thousands — or even more for higher earners — over the course of a career. Auto-enrolment requires minimum contributions of 8% of earnings into a workplace pension, with 5% from the employee and 3% from the employer. But the rules define qualifying earnings within a band, currently from £6,240 to £50,270, meaning that some higher earners effectively contribute less than they assume because contributions are calculated only on earnings inside that band.

For many workers, this means someone earning £100,000 could end up contributing the same as someone earning £50,270, despite a £49,730 difference in pay. Ed Wood, a senior financial planner at Rathbones, described the effect as a retirement shortfall waiting to happen for higher earners. AJ Bell’s research, led by Laura Suter, shows the potential impact: depending on salary, sticking to qualifying earnings could reduce a retirement pot by tens of thousands or more by age 65. In one scenario, a 50-year-old with £100,000 in pension savings could see a pot of about £349,890 by 65 if contributing 8% on qualifying earnings, versus a much larger total if contributions were based on full earnings. For workers at £60,000, £80,000 or £100,000, the difference could grow to £168,621 or more, depending on growth assumptions and wage progression.

Nest’s 2022 analysis suggested that only about four in ten employees work for a company that calculates contributions on full salary, underscoring the scale of the issue. Laura Suter emphasized that auto-enrolment is intended as a baseline, not a comprehensive retirement strategy, and urged workers to verify how their scheme is set up and to consider increasing contributions or using salary sacrifice where possible. The takeaway for savers is clear: check whether your employer uses qualifying earnings, and if so, consider raising your contributions in increments, seeking employer matching improvements, or exploring salary sacrifice to boost retirement savings without straining current cash flow.

The pension discussion also included forward-looking guidance for those starting out. AJ Bell’s projections show that contributing the full 8% of full salary can yield meaningful increases in retirement pots. For a 25-year-old earning £30,000, contributing 8% of full salary could grow a pot to about £639,643 by age 65, versus £486,122 if contributions are limited to qualifying earnings. A 25-year-old earning £40,000 could reach £852,858 with full-salary contributions, compared with £580,605 under the qualifying-earnings method. The advice was practical: balance increased contributions with other financial commitments, and consider phased increases to adapt to changing circumstances.

To illustrate potential gains and to help readers visualize the choices, an additional resource note from AJ Bell and Nest suggests workers examine any lost pension pots, review the total in pension saving, and map out a plan that aligns with long-term retirement goals. The overarching message is straightforward: auto-enrolment provides a baseline, but workers who earn above the £50,270 threshold should actively assess whether their contributions reflect their full salary today, and adjust accordingly if they can afford to do so.

[Image 1] https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/12/20/21/104912065-0-image-a-108_1766266031405.jpg

[Image 2] https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/12/20/17/104908183-0-image-a-23_1766253585969.jpg

In sum, the Strictly Come Dancing finale delivered a high-profile moment for a country’s beloved entertainment program, while the pension analysis issued a practical reminder that smart saving remains a crucial, ongoing effort for millions of workers. The two stories sit at opposite ends of the consumer spectrum—one about a televised celebration of achievement and partnership, the other about practical steps individuals can take to safeguard their financial futures as they plan for retirement.