Tess Daly has made a rare declaration to one of her Strictly Come Dancing co-stars as they reflected on the year gone by

Strictly Come Dancing’s Tess Daly issued a heartfelt statement (Image: Tess Daly Instagram)

Strictly Come Dancing’s Tess Daly has publicly showered “precious” Dianne Buswell with praise after an exceptional year on the iconic dance show.

Normally, Tess is known for maintaining a neutral stance, but she seems to have made an exception when it comes to Dianne, warmly praising her achievements with blind partner Chris McCausland this winter. She was inspired to speak out after reading Dianne’s recent social media post, which thanked “every single person I crossed along the way”.

Tess replied: “You are such a precious soul, love you to bits”, while Dianne acknowledged her with a string of red heart emojis. The affectionate exchange follows Dianne’s extraordinary victory in the ballroom in December.

It was Tess who had the honour of announcing the pro dancer’s win, crowning her and Chris on the BBC One show only last month. Chris, as the first-ever blind contestant to participate, wowed audiences during the grand finale.

The pair fought off competition to triumph over Miranda star Sarah Hadland and her pro partner Vito Coppola. They also beat Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri and pro Aljaz Skorjanec and JLS’s JB Gill paired with Lauren Oakley, to seize the coveted Glitterball trophy.

Dianne Buswell and Chris McCausland are crowned Strictly winners (Image: PA)

Chris shared his amazement at the win, which he described as “astonishing”.

While Tess and her co-presenter Claudia Winkleman shared the good news, Chris was overcome with tears as he embraced Dianne.

As the curtain fell on 2024, Dianne took a moment to reflect on a whirlwind year.

Her social media post read: “Some 2024 memories. Thank you to every single person I crossed along the way. Sending love health and happiness to you all for the new year ahead.”

Strictly Come Dancing’s Dianne Buswell won the show with Chris McCausland (Image: Getty)

2024 had kicked off with her electrifying performances on the Strictly Live Tour alongside 2023 partner Bobby Brazier, and culminated in her triumphant Glitterball victory on the main show with Chris.

She then savoured a heartwarming festive season back in Blighty with her Australia-based family.

Her dad had recently undergone cancer treatment but had pulled through, making the reunion all the more poignant.

The recap post celebrating the highlights of 2024 attracted over 37,000 likes, with followers gushing that they were “endlessly proud” of her.