Dancing With The Stars: Nicole Scherzinger clinches glitterball trophy in final

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By Emily Sheridan

Dancing queen: Nicole Scherzinger and her partner Derek Hough pose with their glitterball trophies after winning the 10th series of Dancing With The Stars


Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger was crowned the winner of Dancing With The Stars last night.

The pop singer and her professional partner Derek Hough lifted the glitterball trophy are beating Olympic ice skater Evan Lycasek and his partner Anna Trebunskaya into second place.

Scherzinger, 31, and Hough, 25, clinched the title after their jive to Proud Mary received top marks from the judges, as well as another 30 for a repeat of their Argentine tango from last week.

Together with the 28 and 27 they received for their rumba and freestyle from Monday night's show, they received a grand total of 115.

As host Tom Bergeron announced the couple as the winner, a visibly surprised Scherzinger jumped on top of Hough and screamed in delight.

Bergeron admitted he was stunned the pair actually looked surprised at their win, which had been predicted by pundits.

But Hough said: 'We don't take anything for granted. Everyone's been amazing. I'm so happy.'


Hot stuff: Scherzinger and Hough perform the jive to Proud Mary


After their jive, head judge Len Goodman said: 'There can be only one winner in Dancing With the Stars, and it should be you.'

Fellow judge Bruno Tonioli, who also appears alongside Goodman on Strictly Come Dancing, enthused: 'This has been the best season of 'Dancing With the Stars, ever.'

Despite the show being a ratings hit for the ABC channel, the series was perhaps one of the most predicable with Scherzinger receiving top marks for weeks before her inevitable win.

In third place last night, was sports broadcaster Erin Andrews and her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy.


Shock: Scherzinger holds her trophy in disbelief after her win


Double winner: Scherzinger's professional partner Hough won the seventh series of DWTS with Brooke Burke, who now hosts the show


While Scherzinger was consistently one of the best dancers on the show, many believed she was given an unfair advantage due to her dance experience with The Pussycat Dolls.

She said: 'This is new territory for me. I am in Derek Hough Dancing With The Stars ballroom land. It's good that I kind of don't know what I'm doing.'

Scherzinger's win coincides with the release of her new single Nobody Can Change Me, which she debuted on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on Monday.

The singer is also set to work on some more material with the all-new Pussycat Dolls, with all of the original members - bar Scherzinger - being replaced


'New territory': Scherzinger insisted her dance experience with The Pussycat Dolls hadn't given her an unfair advantage


On Monday, Scherzinger received praised for her sensual lines as she performed the rumba to Chris De Burgh's Lady In Red.

But a small mistake towards of the end of the routine cost them a perfect score after judge Carrie Ann Inaba docked them a point when Hough picked Scherzinger up at the end, deeming it a lift, despite Hough's claims that the dance was over.

Tonioli raved: 'Eroticism, sensuality, romance seamlessly woven into something of extreme beauty - this was superlative!'

Goodman added: I loved the subtlety of the choreography, there was some really in your eyes stuff but there were some quiet moments which I thought was very, very appealing.


Decision time: Hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke (centre) prepare to announce the winner, as Scherzinger and Hough are joined by Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya


And a small mistake in an otherwise perfect performance likewise cost the pair in their second dance, the freestyle.

The couple's combination of jitterbug, jive, quickstep and hip-hop was praised by Goodman as 'fantastic.'

But a hiccup on the last lift - where Scherzinger almost tumbled off her partner's shoulders - left them with just 27 out of 30.

Also on last night's finale saw the return of former contestant Pamela Anderson, who stunned critics were her better-than-expected dancing skills.


Ouch! Scherzinger did the splits during her raunchy rumba to Chris De Burgh's Lady In Red on Monday night's show


Runners-up: Olympian ice skater Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya doing the Viennese Waltz (left), with third place Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy performing the Samba on Monday's show




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