Caroline Flack has said she couldn’t lift her head “let alone the glitterball” the morning after the night she was crowned Strictly Come Dancing champion.

The former Xtra Factor regular made history in becoming the first person ever to secure three sets of perfect scores in the final of the BBC dance show.

Caroline jumped for joy as she and her partner Pasha Kovalev lifted the coveted glitterball trophy.

They beat The Saturdays star Frankie Bridge and her partner Kevin Clifton, Blue singer Simon Webbe and his partner Kristina Rihanoff, and former The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright and his partner Karen Hauer to win the show.

Caroline, who was favourite to win, was hailed as “absolutely phenomenal”.

She said winning was the “best feeling in the whole world”, adding: “This has been the best experience of my whole life.”

She scored 40 from the judges in each of her three dances, with famously hard to please Craig Revel Horwood telling her: “My heart has melted.”

After performing her last dance, which was the Charleston, he told her she was “absolutely phenomenal”.

A picture of Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev on Strictly
Caroline Flack wowed the judges with her performances (Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Darcey Bussell described her as “the perfect naughty flapper”, while Bruno Tonioli said she was his “golden sex goddess” after her cha cha cha, adding: “The earth was moving. I’m still basking in the afterglow.”

The couple’s showdance – which featured a wind machine – was “like watching a contemporary ballet”, according to retired ballerina Darcey, while Len Goodman said: “You don’t need wind machines, you’ve got huge fans up here.”

Pasha said of Caroline: “I could not imagine a better partner.”

Caroline’s friend Olly Murs and Alesha Dixon, a former Strictly champion, were among those who tweeted their congratulations after the TV presenter’s victory.

Bookmakers Coral had cut Caroline’s odds to 1-4 but are still facing a “hefty” payout.

A Coral spokeswoman said last night: “After weeks of getting off the hook, we’ve finally got our fingers burnt. Caroline Flack was backed off the boards tonight and has left us facing a hefty Christmas payout.”