Flack revels in Strictly crown

The former Xtra Factor regular, who made history in becoming the first person ever to secure three sets of perfect scores in the final of the BBC dance show, tweeted it was “the best night of my life”.

Flack, who performed at Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom during this year’s competition, jumped for joy as she and her partner Pasha Kovalev lifted the coveted glitterball trophy after beating The Saturdays star Frankie Bridge and her partner Kevin Clifton, Blue singer Simon Webbe and his partner Kristina Rihanoff, and former Towie star Mark Wright and his partner Karen Hauer.

She took to Twitter to express thanks, tweeting: “I don’t know how to say how grateful I am but ... Thank you thank you thank you ... Xxxxx”

She later described her her fellow finalistsas a “real incredible group of people whom yesterday were a complete joy to be dancing with”.

She added: “And THANK YOU for supporting me and Pasha throughout the series.... What a night...I can’t even lift my head let alone the glitterball :)” Flack said winning was the “best feeling in the whole world”, adding: “This has been the best experience of my whole life.”

She scored 40 in each of her three dances, with famously hard to please judge Craig Revel Horwood telling her: “My heart has melted.”

After performing her last dance, which was the Charleston, he told her she was “absolutely phenomenal”.

Darcey Bussell described her as “the perfect naughty flapper”, while Bruno Tonioli said she was his “golden sex goddess’’ after her cha cha cha, adding: ‘’The earth was moving. I’m still basking in the afterglow.’’

The couple’s showdance - which featured a wind machine - was “like watching a contemporary ballet’’, according to retired ballerina Bussell, while Len Goodman said: ‘’You don’t need wind machines, you’ve got huge fans up here.’’”

More than 11 million people watched the final - a million fewer than last year.

Bookmakers Coral had cut Flack’s odds to 1-4 but are still facing a “hefty” payout.

A Coral spokeswoman said: “After weeks of getting off the hook, we’ve finally got our fingers burnt. Caroline Flack was backed off the boards and has left us facing a hefty Christmas payout.”