Norwegian artist Martinus Gunnarsen and his professional dance partner Paulina Rosenkvist won this season of "Let's Dance" Sweden, according to VG. The result was confirmed in TV4's live broadcast on Friday, 9 October 2026, after the jury's points had been awarded and viewers' votes counted.
Gunnarsen and Rosenkvist came through the deciding final duel against Karlsson and Borg, after Blomqvist and Borg were eliminated earlier in the competition, VG reports.
Why it matters
The win places a Norwegian contestant at the top of one of Sweden's biggest entertainment shows, and it follows weeks of physical setbacks that threatened the pair's participation. Gunnarsen was not the only Norwegian in this season's lineup: Petter Northug also competed and was voted out two weeks before the final, according to VG.
"Hard work pays off"
Speaking in TV4's live broadcast, Gunnarsen said he believed he had worked harder than anyone else in the competition, describing how he had spent so much time in the "Let's Dance" studio that it felt like living there. He said he could not have worked harder and that he was very pleased with the outcome, VG reports.
He told Aftonbladet that he felt overstimulated, happy and at the same time sad that the contest was over. He said many emotions were running through him, and that the win showed him that hard work pays off, according to VG.
Gunnarsen also told the newspaper that he had worked extremely hard and described the journey as fantastic, adding that the pair would now celebrate and enjoy their time together, VG reports. He said with a glint in his eye that he planned to get a tattoo of the winner's trophy, which is shaped like a shoe.
Injury setbacks before the final
Rosenkvist, the professional dancer, told Expressen that she had been the one who "broke a little" after a lift, but said the pair would keep fighting because the final was on Friday and could not be missed, according to VG. She said she intended to complete the final as planned.
On Instagram, she wrote about one broken rib, two tired souls and three days left until the final, VG reports.
Hours before Friday's final, Rosenkvist shared a picture on her Instagram story of the Norwegian sitting with a bandaged knee, according to VG. Anna Lundkvist, the programme's press contact, told Expressen that he had hurt his knee but that he was doing fine.
Northug's run and a partner swap
Northug, the other Norwegian in the season, was eliminated two weeks before the final. After receiving the news, he called his time on the show a fantastic journey and a memory for life, VG reports.
The week before his exit, the format featured a partner swap, and Northug danced with Rosenkvist, Gunnarsen's partner. Judge Taya Shawki told him that things were starting to click for him that week, describing the performance as good and stable and saying he had shown feeling, according to VG.
Northug said he had gotten to know Gunnarsen well and described him as a fierce competitor, noting that he had worked very hard, especially in the final two weeks before the final. He called it a deserved victory, VG reports. He added that it was moving to stand there with family, to have gotten to know Gunnarsen and to see him take the win in the end.
What happens next for the winning pair is not yet clear beyond their stated plans to celebrate; Gunnarsen has said he intends to mark the win with a tattoo of the trophy.
