McCausland, who was the bookmakers’ favourite to win on Saturday night, performed three dances with Buswell in the final.
Four days on, he said he was “still aching”.
“People say, ‘Doing Strictly, do you feel fitter?’ And I reckon I will be the fittest I’ve been in a long time, but at the minute I think I’m just recovering,” he said.
“It’s so full on, and the closer you get to the final, the more hours you have to put in. But it’s thoroughly worth it.”
The pair performed routines including their waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers in the grand final.
McCausland turned down Strictly twice before finally saying yes.
He joined after a difficult summer for the show, with a number of former celebrity contestants speaking out about their negative experiences on Strictly.
The BBC apologised to Amanda Abbington and upheld some of her complaints against her 2023 dance partner Giovanni Pernice, including those of verbal bullying and harassment, but cleared him of the most serious claims.
The corporation also introduced new duty of care measures, including putting chaperones in rehearsals.
McCausland said he had “no doubt” that people have found it difficult in the past, adding that there was “a lot of pressure” on both dancers and contestants.
“But I think the BBC have gone out of their way to listen to what’s happened and try and create a supportive environment,” he added. “I had no problems.”
