JB Gill sent fans wild as he recreated his iconic ‘Merry Christmas’ meme moment from The X Factor during the Strictly final on Saturday night.
The JLS singer, 38, and his partner Lauren Oakley made it to the final of the BBC show and JB couldn’t resist giving a nod to the hilarious and now viral moment.
JLS competed on the fifth series of The X Factor in 2008 and during a performance of Last Christmas he memorably said ‘Merry Christmas’ in a bizarre voice in the middle of the song.
He went viral in for the moment which saw him stare into the camera and give the festive greeting.
During one of JB’s post-performance interviews, Strictly host Claudia Winkleman asked him what it would mean to win.
He said: ‘Do you know what it would be the most incredible badge of honour.
JB Gill sent fans wild as he recreated his iconic ‘Merry Christmas ‘ meme moment from The X Factor during the Strictly final on Saturday night
JLS competed on the fifth series of The X Factor in 2008 and during a performance of Last Christmas he memorably said ‘Merry Christmas’ in a bizarre voice in the middle of the song
‘Tonight has been unbelievable not just for me but everyone who’s been dancing tonight.’
‘And to lift that Glitterball trophy would literally be the best Merry Christmas,’ he said – turning to the camera as he delivered the festive greeting in a nod to the X Factor moment.
Fans went wild as they penned on X: ‘JB DID THE MERRY CHRISTMAS THING!! #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing.’,
‘JB bringing back the randomly placed ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS’ the meme just went full circle 16 years on, incredible #Strictly.’,
‘i’m HOWLING at jb recreating his merry christmas meme #Strictly.’
‘not jb doing the merry christmas meme #strictly.’
Chris McCausland and his pro partner Dianne Buswell were crowned Strictly’s 2024’s champions after the comedian made history as the show’s first ever blind contestant.
Chris, 47, pipped fellow finalists Tasha Ghouri, JB and Sarah Hadland to the post in the ‘best ever’ final on Saturday, with his cheeky wit and inspiring story helping to save the show following a year of scandals.
The JLS singer, 38, and his partner Lauren Oakley made it to the final of the BBC show and JB couldn’t resist giving a nod to the hilarious and now viral moment
He went viral in for the moment which saw him stare into the camera and give the festive greeting
Fans went wild as they penned on X: ‘JB DID THE MERRY CHRISTMAS THING!! #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing’
JB was initially paired with pro Amy Dowden in the competition but Lauren replaced her amid her health woes
The final, which was the highest-scoring ever, saw all the couples each perform three dances for the judges before hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced Chris as the winner of the much sought after Glitterball trophy.
The funnyman broke down in tears as he was embraced by his fellow celebs before throwing Dianne triumphantly over his shoulder while the audience went wild.
Asked how the moment felt by Tess and Claudia, Chris said: ‘It’s astonishing, I don’t know what to say. I honestly thought I was going to go out in the first week or two and I know nobody went out in the first week but I still thought I could.
‘We’ve just lasted and lasted and [Dianne] has got so much out of me and she deserves [the trophy] so much’ as he went on to gush over her ‘positivity’ and ‘belief’.
He then joked: ‘Unless she changes her number she’s stuck with me. This is for [Dianne] and everyone out there, it just shows that with the opportunity and support anything is possible!’.
Chris gained his first perfect score of 40 points for a waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers, which was his final dance of the series and left the judges and viewers in tears.
His second routine was a medley of dance styles to You Get What You Give by New Radicals and he recreated his viral ‘blackout’ moment for the first dance.
Chris and Dianne also danced to their own choice of tune – Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon.
The pair dazzled with their Show Dance but sadly it wasn’t enough for them to win the competition
Speaking earlier in the show, Chris said: ‘I hope [me being on Strictly] will make a difference in people’s attitudes towards people who are blind and disabled people.
‘When I started this my daughter was really nervous, she’s eleven, and I think she fed off my fears and worries but she’s been enjoying watching me and she’s really proud.
‘I’ve learned that I am more resilient, I think It will take a lot more to scare me in the future and something doesn’t have to be perfect to be a success.
With a dark cloud hanging over it since January when 2023 contestant Amanda Abbington first came forward with her complaints about pro partner Giovanni Pernice, Chris has brought the embattled show’s viewers bundles of joy.
