Ali Bastian wins 'Strictly' Christmas special

Ali Bastian has been crowned Strictly Come Dancing 2009 Christmas Champion, just two weeks after she missed out on a place in the series final. The Bill actress - who was knocked out of the main series at the semi-final stage - beat five other celebrities, including the 2009 champion Chris Hollins, to the special Christmas Glitterball trophy. 2009 runner-up Ricky Whittle also competed, along with former participants Rachel Stevens, Gethin Jones and Austin Healy. Stevens finished in second place. The result was decided by a mix of judges' scores and votes from the studio audience as opposed to viewers. Afterwards the star appeared speechless at the result. "I can't believe it, thank you very much," she said, "this is fantastic." Earlier in the show Bastian and dance partner Brian Fortuna had wowed the judges with their festive Viennese Waltz, scoring full marks as a result. "That was an impeccable Viennese Waltz of supreme beauty. You're superb, you're a fantastic dancer, technique and artistry all there to be seen," Bruno Tonioli told her. Craig Revel Horwood, meanwhile, described the dance as "stunning, gorgeous and an absolute classic". However Hollins did not fare quite so well despite his triumph last Saturday, finishing bottom of the judges scoreboard and becoming the first celebrity to be eliminated following the audience vote.

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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.