‘I couldn’t be more proud’: Jowita Przystał praises Hamza Yassin as the pair thank fans ahead of Strictly final

Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystał have thanked fans for their votes after making it through to the final of Strictly Come Dancing.

The wildlife cameraman, 32, who lives in the Ardnamurchan Peninsula, and the Polish professional dancer, 28, were the highest scoring couple on Sunday (11 December) night after they danced the Charleston and the Waltz.

After the live semi-final was broadcast on BBC, Jowita thanked her 85,600 followers for their “votes and support”.

The professional dancer took to Instagram with a selection of photos showing herself and Hamza, as she expressed how proud she is of the Sudan-born cameraman.

Jowita wrote: “This is it… you did it partner! We did it! We are in the final of @bbcstrictly ❤️ and I couldn’t be more proud of you @hamzayassin90 ❤️ beyond thankful for all your votes and support ❤️ now it’s time to go there and celebrate our journey x I had the best time, let’s make the most of it x”

One fan commented: “Voted for you since day 1. Loved Sunday’s dance in your kilt! Wishing you good luck and hope your knees can take it all. Be voting for you in final ❤️🙌”

Another wrote: “Delighted for you both, take each other to the win! This year’s winners 100% ❤️❤️”

A third added: “You’re both doing fantastic. Going by the amount of improvement and skills learned, the Glitterball should be yours. You will definitely get my vote.👏🏻”

Radio presenter Richie Anderson, who was eliminated in the third week of the current series, commented: “What a team ❤️ so thrilled for Jowita xxx”.

Fellow professional Strictly dancers Carlos Gu, Dianne Buswell and Giovanni Pernice were also among those to comment.

In an Instagram reel posted by BBC Strictly, Hamza said he is “thankful” for his fans and hopes to make them proud in the upcoming final.

The 32-year-old said: “We’re grateful, we’re thankful. Thank you to everybody. Yeah, and hopefully we’ll do you proud on the final.”

Actress Molly Rainford and her partner Carlos Gu, singer Fluer East and her partner Vito Coppola, and Countryfile presenter Helen Skelton and her partner Gorka Marquez are the three other couples who’ve made it through to the final of Strictly Come Dancing series 20.

Who is Hamza Yassin?

Hamza Ahmed Yassin is a Sudanese-British wildlife cameraman and presenter.

He was born in Sudan on 22 February 190 and moved to the UK when he was eight-years-old, despite not knowing any English.

The Strictly star went on to achieve a degree in Zoology with Conservation at Bangor University in Wales and a Masters in Biological Photography and Imaging at the University of Nottingham.

When he was 21, Hamza moved to the Scottish Highlands to study the local wildlife and develop his career.

The 32-year-old is now known for his role as Ranger Hamza on CBeebies show Let’s Go for a Walk, and as a presenter on BBC’s Animal Park which is about the lives of keepers and animals at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire.

In late 2020, he presented a one-off Channel 4 documentary, Scotland: My Life in the Wild. It was about his life and the wildlife living on the Ardnamurchan peninsula in the Highlands of Scotland.

In the same year, Hamza presented Scotland: Escape to the Wilderness. The four-part Channel 4 series took four celebrities, Martin Clunes, Baroness Warsi, Ben Miller and Richard Coles, to wild locations around Scotland.

He has also appeared on The One Show and as a guest presenter on Countryfile.

Who is Jowita Przystał?

Jowita Przystał is a Polish ballroom dancer. She was born on 22 August 1994.

Jowita and her partner Michael Danilczuk have both represented Poland in national and international competitions, and in 2014, they became Polish Open Latin Champions.

The couple have also performed in Broadway musical productions such as Legally Blonde, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Rock of Ages.

They moved to London in 2019 to pursue a career in the United Kingdom, and a year later they competed in and won BBC’s second series of The Greatest Dancer.

The prize was £50,000 and an opportunity to perform on the next series of Strictly Come Dancing - so in 2021, Jowita joined the nineteenth series as a professional.

The 28-year-old also danced in the 2021 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special alongside Adrian Chiles.

In November 2022, Jowita announced that she will appear at Dancing With The Stars Weekends in 2023, with Ukrainian dancer Nikita Kuzmin.