Strictly Come Dancing: Kelvin Fletcher ‘remains heavy favourite’ to win final

It’s the final of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night, with one of Kelvin Fletcher, Emma Barton or Karim Zeroual set to be crowned the winner of the show.

The bookmakers continue to make Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher the heavy favourite to win the show at 2/5.

Fletcher was drafted in as a late replacement for Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing in the first week and proceeded to amaze viewers with his top-scoring Samba.

He has never looked back since, consistently showcasing his brilliantly versatile array of dancing skills, only once receiving a score under 30 from the judges in the 12 weeks so far.

Eastenders actress Emma Barton’s odds, however, have shortened slightly to 5/2, having gained momentum in recent weeks.

Her professional partner, Anton du Beke, is featuring in his first ever final despite dancing on the show since its inception in 2004. Long-time fans of the show may well be rooting for him to win, it seems, but Fletcher will take some stopping.

TV presenter Karim Zeroual appears unlikely to win the show and is priced as the 12/1 underdog.

He was forced to overcome his second dance-off last week, with comedian Chris Ramsey departing at the semi-final stage, in a clear indication that he is receiving fewer votes than Fletcher and Barton despite his undoubted talent.

The judges, who have saved him both weeks he has been in the bottom two, are essentially redeemed redundant in the final as the ultimate outcome all comes down to the public vote as the latest Strictly come dancing winner odds are released..

Bruno Tonioli was still typically full of beans on ITV’s This Morning, though, revealing the format of this year’s final.

All three couples will perform three dances each; one chosen by the judges, one chosen by themselves, and then a show-dance.

“Oh God yeah, it’s the first time. It’s gonna be a thriller,” Tonioli told presenter Holly Willoughby.

Having seemingly struggled to get their head (and feet) around performing two dances instead of one, it’s going to be a gigantic test for the three finalists.

But we’ve certainly got the final we deserve with three high-quality dancers in what is set to be one of the best Strictly finals yet.