Comedian Chris McCausland has won the 22nd series of Strictly Come Dancing after beating fourteen other celebrities to this year’s glitterball trophy.
He is praised throughout the series for exceeding expectations of what a blind person can achieve on the dance floor.
McCausland, 47, was registered as blind after losing his sight due to retinitis pigmentosa at the age of 20.
But who is the man who charmed viewers of Saturday night’s dance competition?
‘I have the stand-up bug’
McCausland was born in Liverpool in 1977, but moved to south-west London in the mid-1990s to study software engineering at Kingston University.
After graduating, he became a software developer, but had to change careers when his eyesight deteriorated.
He told the i-newspaper in 2023 that he had completely lost his sight at the age of 22 due to a hereditary condition called retinitis pigmentosa, which his grandmother and mother also had.
His condition caused the light-sensitive cells of his retina to gradually deteriorate until he could no longer see.
“I actually went blind very slowly since birth, so I didn’t really notice it happening – like the frog in the pot of boiling water,” he said.
His next job was in sales, which was “really boring stuff” and “just filled the time until I figured out what I actually wanted to do,” he told the Liverpool Echo in 2016.
The turning point came when McCausland was 26.
“I got shingles and was taken off work for two weeks,” he said.
“I was bored to death and as a challenge to myself I decided to try stand-up.”
That first comedy gig went so well that he “got the stand-up bug,” he said, and he’s been doing it ever since.
McCausland was the first blind contestant on Strictly Come Dancing (PA Media)
He subsequently took part in several new talent shows and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe for six years between 2005 and 2012.
His TV career started in 2006 when he became one of the main characters in the CBeebies show Me Too!, playing a blind market trader called Rudi.
Comedy producers also began to recognize his talent. He appeared in the 2008 Paramount series At The Comedy Store and won a Creative Diversity award for comedy in 2011, which was presented by a panel of broadcasters including Channel 4, BBC, ITV and Sky.
As he continued to make a name for himself, his inclusion in an episode of BBC One panel show Would I Like to You? in 2019 sparked a debate about a lack of inclusion of disabled people on British television.
He wasn’t a token booking, and his comedic skills also saw him in demand for shows like Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News for You and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
Other acting credits, meanwhile, include episodes of Jimmy McGovern’s Moving On and EastEnders.
‘Absolutely spectacular’
Strictly Come Dancing bosses asked McCausland to take part twice, but he turned them down both times because he feared he would be outside his “comfort zone”.
“My concern,” he told the Times in October, “was that it would be a disaster. I honestly thought it might be a car accident.”
He was finally convinced the third time he asked, and his fears were unfounded.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today program last month, he said his participation in the show had been “extreme” but he hoped it would “go some way to changing people’s ideas about what is possible for a person with a disability.” would increase’.
He added: “I think there are low expectations for people with disabilities – sometimes you come down a flight of stairs in a taxi and people say, ‘Wow, how did you do that?'”
He and professional dancer Dianne Buswell became the show’s 100th couple to perform at the Blackpool Ballroom – the famous halfway point in the series.
McCausland says he is “so grateful” to be working with Diane (BBC/PA)
One of this year’s standout Strictly moments was his and Buswell’s dance to Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon.
The pair performed briefly in the dark to show the judges and audience what it was like for McCausland on the show.
Judge Craig Revel Horwood described it as the “harrowing blackout moment” and “absolutely spectacular”.
The pair performed the same dance again in the final, along with other routines to You Get What You Give by New Radicals and You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers.
Speaking before the final about his relationship with Buswell, who has reached the final twice before, McCausland said: “They (Strictly bosses) knew Dianne would be the best partner for me. In terms of her humor, outlook on life, just the similarities between us and her communication.
“I think they just knew how well we would work together, so I’m grateful for that.”
He has also entertained viewers with his quick jokes during interviews.
After two decades as a rising comedy star, McCausland’s Strictly success has now secured his place as one of Britain’s most popular TV personalities.
