The dance expert said it was clear that viewers were rooting for the pint-sized star after Saturday’s show.
And they don’t seem to mind that he has less technical skill than Ali Bastian or Ricky Whittle.
Arlene, TV Biz columnist and ex-Strictly judge, said: “For the first time on Saturday night I suddenly thought, ‘Do you know what? To my surprise, Chris Hollins could win this’. “It was a complete and utter shock. I sat up in bed and went, ‘Oh my goodness’.
“From never ever getting up on to the floor and dancing to where he is now, Chris has picked up so much.” Fans of the show seem to agree with Arlene – as Chris, 38, escaped the dance-off despite getting the second worst score out of the four remaining contestants.
He scored a reasonable 80 out of 100 from the five judges for his waltz and samba. That beat Laila Rouass, who got the boot after managing to scrape just 59 points. But Chris was behind Ricky and Ali, who got 95 and 86 respectively.
Chris stayed out of the bottom two thanks to overwhelming public support. He and stunning partner Ola Jordan, 27, are the only couple in the current series never to have faced the dance-off. And Arlene, 66, said she was not surprised that the presenter had won over viewers.
She explained: “He’s not the sort of winner where people would say, ‘Oh he doesn’t deserve to be in the final’ because, as far as he can, he doesn’t put a foot wrong.
“It can come down to something about their personalities when all of the couples in the final can dance.
“Viewers think Chris is fabulous because he hasn’t stopped playing to the audience.
“You have to entice the viewers to vote for you, you have to draw them to you.
“The audience demand someone who they feel is connecting to them. Chris does that best of all. He goes out there and makes the most of every moment on the floor.
“Of course, the judges are looking at what he’s doing wrong technically – but in terms of partnership, connection and the power that is beaming out of that pair, you can’t knock it.