Robert Oliver
Published December 1, 2025 6:32pm
Updated December 1, 2025 6:32pm
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A new name is waiting to be written on the Glitter Ball trophy (Picture: Kieron McCarron/BBC/PA Wire)
Key Points
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- A new celebrity has emerged as the new favourite to win Strictly Come Dancing after a perfect score of 40 on Saturday
- This person’s consistent performance places their odds at 1/2, ahead of a former favourite who’s now at 7/4, with others trailing behind
- The semi-final is next week, with the final in two weeks, with five celebrities all aiming to make it into the last three of the competition
The race for the Glitterball Trophy is hotting up on Strictly Come Dancing – and it seems a new favourite has emerged with just weeks to go.
After receiving a perfect score of 40 from the judges on Saturday, Karen Carney and her dance partner, Carlos Gu, are apparently in prime position to win.
The football pundit and former England international, 38, has made steady progress during this year’s competition and has scored 79 points across her last two dances.
She and Carlos were both in tears even before receiving a maximum score on Saturday, with Carlos expressing his pride and gratitude towards Karen.
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The old sporting adage goes that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and Karen appears to be hitting her best stride just as the final comes into view.
Now it appears the public is getting on board, and bookmakers are following suit, with Karen overtaking George Clarke in the odds for Strictly 2025 winner.
Karen Carney was given a whopping 40 out of 40 on Saturday (Picture: Kieron McCarron/BBC/PA Wire)
BetMGM currently has Karen at 1/2 to lift the trophy, with her closest challenger, George, now further out at 7/4, with Lewis Cope next up on 8/1.
A step further out is Amber Davies at 50/1, while Balvinder Sopal’s dance-off heroics are expected to finally come to an end on Sunday, with her at 2/9 with some bookmakers to be eliminated next.
Dan Towse, BetMGM’s brand director, has said: ‘George Clarke had been the Strictly favourite pretty much since the opening night, but it’s all changed as we approach the business end.
The British public’s new favourite? (Picture: BBC/Guy Levy)
George Clarke has dropped down to second on the leaderboard (Picture: Kieron McCarron/BBC/PA Wire)
‘Karen Carney has improved week-on-week, and she’s now surpassed Clarke in the betting, with the former England women’s footballer odds-on at 1/2.’
According to OddsChecker, which aggregates various bookmakers odds, Karen has jumped to 4/6 on, while George has dropped to second with new odds of 5/2.
If Karen were to win, she would become the first former footballer in Strictly history to do so, and the first sportsperson of any kind to win the competition since gymnast Louis Smith in 2012.
Before that, only former cricketers Darren Gough and Mark Ramprakash had been victorious after coming to Strictly Come Dancing from a professional sport.
Could Karen be the first footballer to lift the Glitterball Trophy? (Picture: Kieron McCarron/BBC/PA Wire)
The first former footballer to enter the competition was John Barnes, who finished seventh in 2007, while Robbie Savage, Alex Scott, and Tony Adams each finished sixth, fifth, and ninth, respectively.
Last year, former Arsenal player and current TV pundit Paul Merson made it to week four of the competition but was still eliminated in 12th place after achieving a highest score of just 23.
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Metro columnist Adam Miller made a bold call after the opening night of the Strictly 2025 series, saying Karen would outperform every former footballer in the show’s history.
‘[During week one] Claudia Winkleman revealed it had been 18 years since a footballer topped the Strictly leaderboard. Karen broke that curse in week one.
‘She chose football [over dance as a child], and became one of the best players in the world. Karen is still the dark horse of the competition… I predict she could easily become the front-runner in no time at all.’
Watch Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday, December 6 at 6.50pm on BBC One.
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