‘It’s exhausting to come back to phrases with’: Strictly’s George Clarke breaks his silence after ending runner-up to Karen Carney on the BBC present

George Clarke has broken his silence on Instagram on Sunday after finishing runner-up on Strictly Come Dancing. 

The content creator, 26, competed in this year’s series with dance partner Alexis Warr but failed to lift the glitterball as former footballer Karen Carney and partner Carlos Gu were crowned winners. 

Now, George has reflected on his journey on the BBC series as he revealed coming second has been ‘hard to come to terms with’ but admitted he has ‘learned so much’.

Alongside a picture of himself and Alexis on the dance floor, he wrote: ‘Last night was a lot to process but not because I didn’t walk away with a glitterball. The journey is done and that’s hard to come to terms with.

‘Firstly, I’d like to thank my family, my friends, my girlfriend, all my internet pals and anyone who showed any ounce of support. I’ve realised I’ve got quite the support network and for that I will be forever grateful.

‘Strictly has been a hell of an experience for me and I feel like I’ve learned so so much. For someone who’s made a career from sitting in front of a camera I really am not comfortable being the centre of attention so immediately I knew Strictly would be a challenge.’

George admitted he was out of his comfort zone during Strictly but praised partner Alexis for helping him become a better person not just a better dancer. 

He continued: ‘After the first few weeks I really thought I’d bitten off more than I could chew, every week felt like such an alien movement and no part of me believed I could create as good a dance as the other people in the competition. But that’s where I have to thank Alexis.

‘Your pro is 99% of your process and I’ve had the best and most formative 4 months of my life so I think that shows how impactful she has been. 

‘She helped me discover some belief in myself, something that has really helped shape me as a person not just as a dancer.

‘I think it was evident early on she was an incredible dancer and choreographer but something I got to discover is that she’s also a wonderful person. 

‘Our partnering skills and lifts have been something that were praised throughout the competition and I think that’s down to us genuinely becoming such good, but more importantly, trusting friends. 

‘She learned how I work best; She was just as good at helping me with things in my head as she was with helping me with where my feet go;

‘However, something I really respect about her is how she came into this show with something to prove as the “new girl”, but she chose to prove what she could do through me and not by showing off herself. 

‘Strictly has gained a real gem and an asset and it was an absolute privilege to have the honour of being her first partner.’

Reflecting on the final show, George gushed overe hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman for being ‘incredible’ during their final series after 21 years fronting the competition.

‘I ended the night doing 3 wildly different dances, none of which I would’ve had a chance in hell at doing at the start of the competition. Not only was there an improvement but I hand on heart genuinely loved performing them and that was something I never thought would happen.

‘Overall, the whole world of Strictly is so uplifting and positive. Everyone in and around the Strictly family has been a breath of fresh air to have in my life. 

‘It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of it and a part of Tess and Claudia’s last season (who were nothing short of incredible to me throughout). I’ve learned a lot about dancing, I’ve learned a lot about myself and it’s something I’ll never forget.

‘Everyone has had their own personal journeys and many would’ve been worthy of winning but I’m happy to say that a particularly impressive woman on and off the dance floor has had the privilege of walking away as champ.’

George concluded by adding he will now be resting for the next few weeks but would like to ‘continue dancing’ as he feels he isn’t done yet.  

He penned: ‘I hope that I can continue dancing in some capacity because in many ways I don’t feel like I’m done… my body however will be on standby until 2026.

‘Thankyou to everyone that made this incredible experience possible! Now let’s go make some internet stuff’.

Karen was left speechless as she was announced the winner of the 2025 series as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman bid goodbye to viewers in an emotional finale.

Each finalist performed three times – a judges’ choice, their show dance and their favourite dance before the winner was declared.

As Tess and Claudia announced she had won, Karen looked in complete shock as she embraced her pro partner Carlos.

She said: ‘I cannot believe it. I just wanna say thank you to everybody that’s supported our journey, supported us, and, thank you to this wonderful gentleman [Carlos].

‘We are a team, and, I could not have done this without you, but honestly, I can’t believe it, it’s been the biggest privilege and honour, and, I literally, I’m lost for words. I’m so sorry.’

Karen later took to her official Instagram account to thank fans as she held the glitterball trophy firmly in her hands with Carlos.

They said: ‘Hi everybody! We did it!

‘We can’t, I honestly, we can’t believe it, but we just want to say thank you so, so much for all your support, all your votes, all your kind words, it means everything to me and Carlos.

‘So thank you. Thank you so much.’