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Chris McCausland has opened up on the emotional impact of performing on Strictly Come Dancing(Image: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

Strictly Come Dancing winner Chris McCausland has opened up on the emotional toll of the show, after making it all the way to the final and lifting the coveted Glitterball trophy last year.

Having claimed the top prize on the show, he has now admitted that he struggled to contain his emotions as he progressed through the competition alongside his dance partner, Dianne Buswell.

In a recent appearance on the Parenting Hell podcast, the Liverpool-born comedian opened up about the overwhelming emotions during his time on the BBC show, saying: “It was a lot every week. I tried to keep a lid on it in one sense, which was to not kind of break down on the telly.”

He added: “But I also realised very quickly something that I’ve always shied away from — the value in people seeing you be vulnerable.”

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The pair were even awarded a BAFTA TV Award for one of their performances on the show(Image: PA)

Despite struggling to “keep a lid” on his emotions throughout his time on the show, one of his most memorable moments came when he danced the waltz to the backdrop of You’ll Never Walk Alone, leaving both judges and fans blown away by the performance.

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In fact, the couple’s waltz even earned them the BAFTA for Memorable Moment at the 2025 awards.

While many had tipped him to be eliminated in the early rounds, Chris and Dianne shocked viewers as they made it all the way to the final, where they managed to see off competition from contestants including Sarah Hadland, JB Gill and Tasha Ghouri to be crowned winners.

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Chris became the first contestant to win the competition(Image: PA)

Their Strictly triumph carried extra significance as it marked the first time that a blind contestant had ever won the competition.

Before his Strictly victory last year, Chris had already risen to fame thanks to years touring the country as a stand-up comedian. One of his major career highlights came in 2018 when he appeared on Live at the Apollo.

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He had made a number of TV appearances before his Strictly success(Image: Getty Images for BAUER)

Besides his time on Strictly, he has also made a number of other TV appearances down the years, starring in the Jimmy McGovern series Moving On, in 2014.

Since then, he has also been spotted in EastEnders, Would I Lie To You?, Have I Got News For You, and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.