Chris McCausland forced to give back BBC Strictly prize after winning show despite making history

Strictly Come Dancing star Chris McCausland was forced to give back the Glitterball Trophy just hours after being crowned the winner.

McCausland – who was registered blind after gradually losing his sight to retinitis pigmentosa in his 20s and 30s – made show history by being the first blind contestant to win the series.

When discussing his win, he claimed that whilst he was over the moon with the result, it had worn him down “physically and mentally”.

During the final last weekend, McCausland and Dianna Buswell put on a spectacular show and were left speechless when Tess Daly read out their names as the winners.

After attempting to express how they felt but being unable to due to their overwhelming emotions, the couple grabbed the iconic Glitterball Trophy and lifted it high in the air.

Posting to her Instagram account, Buswell was seen walking through the doors of her home she shared with boyfriend and YouTuber Joe Sugg to be greeted with her hallway decorated with balloons and banners.

Buswell was seen holding a Glitterball Trophy – but it seems McCausland will not get the same privilege.

As many previous winners have pointed out, the BBC keep hold of the original trophy and hand the winners a smaller version to take home instead.

2020 winner Bill Bailey described the size as a grapefruit and previously revealed on Radio X in 2021: “A bloke came up to me from Production and asked for the trophy back.

“You don’t get to keep it. You just, you know, you can hold it, but you don’t keep it. They give you a little one, a little replica one about the size of a grapefruit. So he came over with a black bin bag.

“I’m not kidding. Literally, he went: ‘Right, give me that!’ He took it off me, he put it in the black bin bag and said ‘Right, out! Everyone’s got to be out!’.

“So I’ve not really got the full value out of the winning party, so that’s to come.”

Ore Oduba – who won in 2016 – explained the time he got to spend with the trophy could have been measured with a stopwatch before being given a smaller version.

He said on This Morning at the time: “I only got five seconds with it to lift it and then they just whisked it off! That was the only time we got to touch it.”

McFly’s Harry Judd agreed after his victory in 2011, told Sunday Brunch hosts Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer: “They give you the big Glitterball and then they take it straight off you and give you this tiny little one.”

Despite the lack of prize to show for his journey, McCausland has explained he is immensely proud of his and Buswell’s work on the show.

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Unfortunately for fans who were hoping to see McCausland and Buswell dance together again during the 2025 tour, the comedian will not be partaking.

Speaking on Lorraine he said: “I started my tour in January this year and I did the first leg until May and I was meant to be back out in September.

“We moved the dates to accommodate Strictly, so we just moved them to January. We had to move these dates to accommodate Strictly and it just wasn’t a consideration at the time…

“I don’t think anybody thought I would be any good at it. I don’t think they thought it, I don’t think I thought it.

“In terms of going on tour in January, I didn’t think I’d be going on tour on the back of Strictly. I thought I’d have about two months off.”