Bobby Brazier, Layton Williams and Ellie Leach to compete in Strictly final – live

She said it was an “honour” to open the final with her Paso Doble. And the scores are in at 9, 10, 10, 10… that’s 39!

But remember the scores are only for guidance tonight.

First up for the Corrie star is the Judges’ Pick: A Paso Doble to “Insomnia” by 2WEI. She’s looking fierce in red and black. There’s scarlett smoke behind her. The club anthem is popping. Let’s go!

Glitter just runs through these women’s veins doesn’t it? They’ve just introduced the judges, who have done a very intense group dance in front of a fire-spouting Glitter Ball. So far, so Strictly.

So fantastic to see pro dancer Amy Dowden strutting her stuff in the opening dance of the finale.

Read more about her experience here…

The Strictly 2023 final is almost upon us. Here are words from an emotional post Bobby Brazier shared on his Instagram this afternoon as he geared up to perform…

“To inspire is the greatest privilege. Once the kid frozen in the car, or glued to his dads side, or spending days in bed. This is for us. Take the risk, do the thing, and just enjoy it.

“Thank you for your support so far and thank you for your support tonight and in the future, where would we be without you ? Enjoy the show tonight, I hope we take you on a journey. Love you.”

To get us all in the mood and pass the time before the finale kicks off, here are some facts about Strictly, put together by my fab colleague Isobel Lewis…

I interviewed Bobby Brazier in September, ahead of Strictly 2023 kicking off, and he was absolutely buzzing. He told me he felt like his whole life (all 20 years of it) had been leading up to going on the show. And he was funny, too, peering cartoonishly into the Zoom screen, trying to get a closer look at the cookbooks in my kitchen. “Ottolenghi?” he cried. “Sounds like a pasta!”

Read the full interview here…

Dame Rantzen, who came eighth on Strictly in 2004, has said that BBC bosses “lost the plot” by recruiting Layton Williams, due to his past experience in musical theatre.

Read the full story here…

Here’s what the three couples in the final are performing in the hopes of winning the whole bloomin’ show…

• Ellie Leach – Showdance to “Jennifer Lopez Megamix”, Judges’ Pick Paso Doble to “Insomnia” by 2WEI, Favourite Dance American Smooth to “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head” by Robbie Williams
• Layton Williams – Showdance to “Friend Like Me” by Ne-Yo, Judges’ Pick Quickstep to “Puttin’ On The Ritz” by Gregory Porter, Favourite Dance Tango to Tattoo by Loreen
• Bobby Brazier – Showdance to “La La Land Medley”, Judges’ Pick Samba to “Young Hearts Run Free” by Candi Staton, Favourite Dance Couple’s Choice to “This Woman’s Work” by Maxwell

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live blog of the Strictly final. I’m your host, Ellie Harrison. While I can’t provide a fringe anywhere near as impressive as Claudia Winkleman’s, or a dress as glamorous as Tess Daly’s, I can promise you that I will be fuelled by prosecco all evening, so hopefully we’ll have some fun…