Chris Hollins 'still shocked' by Strictly win

Strictly Come Dancing champion Chris Hollins is back in the day job after becoming the surprise winner of the BBC1 show. More than 11 million people tuned in to watch the 38-year-old sports reporter battle it out ballroom-style with Hollyoaks actor Ricky Whittle. Ricky wowed the judges with his natural ability and impressive lifts but he failed to win over the public, who backed the underdog. Chris, partnered by Ola Jordan, was not expected to make it to Saturday night's final after previous performances in the contest, which prompted the judges to comment on his "constipated" expression. The BBC Breakfast reporter said he could not believe he had won but thought people appreciated how hard he had worked. "It was an enormous shock," he said. "I am still in shock." His ups and downs during the competition included a "disastrous" performance when he forgot his jive routine, but he said his persistence was worth it. "It has been a weird adventure," he said. "The highlight has got to be doing the Charleston (in the final). "That was our favourite dance. It just felt right and we got five 10s from the judges."

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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.