Strictly Come Dancing fans spotted a telling sign that Nancy Xu and Carlos Gu’s fall-out was far from over, as he broke down in tears during Saturday’s final.
Carlos was crowned Strictly champion on Saturday with footballer Karen Carney, and during the show tearfully confessed why he felt he didn’t get a celebrity partner the previous year.
During the speech, viewers spotted Nancy maintained a stoney expression, leading some to claim on X that she and Carlos clearly still haven’t patched things up.
Despite being close friends since childhood, Carlos and Nancy reportedly fell out last year, with sources claiming they were ‘refusing to speak backstage.’
Following his last dance with Karen, Carlos tearfully said he was ‘self-centred’ before being paired with her, noting that was why he missed out on a celebrity partner last year.
Struggling to compose himself, Carlos tearfully told viewers: ‘She’s changed my life. I I think she’s the best thing that I’ve ever had in 2025’.
Strictly Come Dancing fans spotted a telling sign that Nancy Xu and Carlos Gu’s fall-out was far from over, as he broke down in tears during Saturday’s final
Carlos was crowned Strictly champion on Saturday with footballer Karen Carney, and during the show tearfully confessed why he felt he didn’t get a celebrity partner the previous year
He went on to admit that before joining the series he had been overly focused on himself, adding: ‘I came to Strictly after competitive life, I was self-centred, I was ‘me, me, me’.
Carlos then shared why he thinks he hasn’t received a partner in previous years as he added: ‘I’ve been [here] the last three years – no wonder I didn’t get partner last year because I’m not grateful and she…she…’
Breaking down further, he reflected on how Karen had helped him grow both personally and professionally, saying she taught him kindness, humility and the importance of teamwork.
‘For the first time, I learned to be a team player,’ he said, before pausing to gather himself.
Claudia moved in to comfort the dancer saying: ‘Oh Carlos, you are! You are a team player. You are, and we love you and your partnership is everything.
‘You’re okay, baby. You’re amazing.’
The scene proved to be a defining one in the final and just minutes later, the pair were crowned Strictly Come Dancing champions, beating fellow finalists George Clarke and Amber Davies.
During Carlos’ speech, some fans were quick to spot Nancy’s furious expression, posting on X: ‘If you don’t like him then stay out of camera shot and keep your feelings to yourself;
During the speech, viewers spotted Nancy maintained a stoney expression, leading some to claim on X that she and Carlos clearly still haven’t patched things up
During Carlos’ speech, some fans were quick to spot Nancy’s furious expression
Despite being close friends since childhood, Carlos and Nancy reportedly fell out last year, with sources claiming they were ‘refusing to speak backstage’
‘Could Nancy even attempt to hide her dislike for Carlos?
‘Nancy so not bothered by Carlos’ tears.’
Nancy also offered another tell-tale sign at her feud with Carlos, when she offered her congratulations to Karen for winning the show.
Posting snaps of the winning pair on Instagram, she wrote: ‘Congratulations for all the final couples! And Well‑deserved Winer @kazcarney and Carlos.’
Fans were quick to note that Nancy did not tag Carlos in her post, with some viewers quickly drawing their own conclusions in the comments.
They said: ‘ Brilliant series! Shame there seems to be a bad atmosphere between you and Carlos. I guess, in my ideal world, I want you all to be BFFs;’
‘Now Nancy is not tagging Carlos in her post for Karen. They clearly had a big fallout;’
‘Gutted Nancy and Carlos are no longer friends. I hope the final has made them patch things up.’
It was claimed that tensions sparked between Carlos and Nancy when the former was left disappointed after not to be paired with a celebrity.
An insider previously told The Sun: ‘The feud between Nancy and Carlos is really sad and has left everyone really shocked.
‘They’ve been close since childhood, but have fallen out and unfollowed each other on socials.’
‘The atmosphere on set is said to be awkward and tense when both are around, and to many it was a relief when Carlos didn’t attend the show weeks ago’.
Meanwhile a separate source told Daily Mail: ‘Both Carols and Nancy are extremely cordial and always incredibly professional on Strictly premises’.
Carlos went on to address the feud, telling The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden: ‘We’re fine. We’ve been friends since childhood, and friends argue, we’re too close and are like brother and sister to completely fall out.’
During previous seasons, Carlos had been paired with TV presenter Angela Scanlon and EastEnders star Molly Rainford.
