PICTURES: All the action from Strictly Inverness' grand final
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THE grand finale of arguably the Highlands’ most eagerly anticipated dance contest of the year was a riot of colour, music and high octane moves.
The eight finalists for Strictly Inverness 2023 gave it their all at Inverness Ice Centre on Saturday, with the intense performances by Natalie Marshall (40) and her dance partner Stevie Strang (54) ultimately securing them the champions slot.
Runners up were Lia Smith and Sam Murphy while the acrobatic lifts from Jade Robertson and Luke O’Brien won them both third place and the honour of being recognised as the most entertaining act of the night.
All of the contestants, however, put in great performance, wowing guest judges and BBC Strictly Come Dancing professionals Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara.
The event is on course to raise around £250,000 to be split between Highland Hospice and the ice centre.
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A spokesperson for the Inverness-based hospice said: “Huge congratulations to our Strictly Inverness 2023 winners Natalie and Stevie!
“Also special mention to runners-up Lia and Sam and Jade and Luke, who finished in third place but also won most entertaining performance.
“It was such a close competition this year.
“Once again thank you so much to Janette and Aljaž for being our guests judges. They were amazing!”
After her win Ms Marshall said: “It feels amazing! A lot of hard work, but it has been an amazing five months, especially to achieve winning.
“Everyone was amazing tonight.
“It’s been a very supportive environment and we’ve made friends for life.”
Mr Strang added: “We’ve had a great time, I haven’t laughed as much in years. I would recommend it to anybody who wants to try and step out of their comfort zone to do it.”
More pictures and videos from the night can be seen on our website.
