Host Salman Khan announced Rubina Dilaik as the winner of Bigg Boss 14 on Sunday. The Shakti actor was joined by singer Rahul Vaidya on the finale stage. The winner announcement happened after live voting, allowing fans to vote for their favourites one last time. While making the winner announcement, Salman Khan mentioned that the difference in the number of votes between them were minimal.

Apart from Rubina and Rahul, Aly Goni, Rakhi Sawant and Nikki Tamboli were a part of the top five finalists as well. While Rakhi chose to leave the show after accepting Rs 14 lakh, Nikki and Aly were voted out. While Bigg Boss 14 started on a fiery note with some very popular faces, the entertainment quotient soon went down drastically. Rubina and Rahul, however, did stand out from the start, given their strong personalities. The two celebs were at loggerheads constantly, and sometimes even without any reason. They even confessed recently that they do not know or understand what led to so much animosity between them. While Rahul did accuse Rubina of being authoritative, manipulative and very arrogant, the Shakti actor claimed Rahul didn’t respect women. And as per fans, given their similar personalities, the clash was bound to happen.

One of TV’s most loved bahu, Rubina entered Bigg Boss 14 alongside her husband Abhinav Shukla. While fielding questions about their relationship at the premiere night, the two appeared as a happily married couple. However, during the course of the show, Dilaik, in a task, revealed that their marriage was at crossroads, and they have contemplated divorce. She said Bigg Boss was a way of giving their relationship a second chance. And as luck would have it, Rubina and Abhinav not only strengthened their bond but also realised they were soulmates during their stay in the house. Other contestants claimed they have each other for support, but the two continued to play individual games.

The ‘wife’ in her came to the fore when Kavita Kaushik spoke about her past equation with Abhinav while in the house. When she went on trying to instigate Rubina against her husband, the Shakti actor hit back, leaving her to walk out of the show. More recently, while initially Rubina smiled through Rakhi’s harmless flirting with Abhinav, she splashed a bucket of water on her when Rakhi crossed the line by calling Abhinav names.

While Rubina Dilaik managed to win in the matter of love, friendship was not something she won easily on the show. Excited to find her real life neighbour Jasmin Bhasin on the show, the two forged an easy friendship. Fans too were eager to see this female bonding, which is quite rare in a show like Bigg Boss. After Jasmin was accused by Salman Khan of being Rubina’s puppet, the former started distancing herself from this friendship. And then, during the Panchayat task, where the two were pitted against each other, their friendship ended. While Rubina tried to extend the olive branch multiple times, Jasmin would not have it. Interestingly, Jasmin’s best friend and now boyfriend Aly Goni has a different opinion and considers Rubina as one of his closest allies in the house.

Rubina Dilaik was never a favourite in the house, as most felt she has a superiority complex. The actor would often be seen giving sermons and orders to others, helping her win the tag of a ‘teacher’. Even her usage of fancy words were often made fun of. Not one to take it lying down, Rubina has fought her own battles, and had a fight with almost every contestant in the house. The Choti Bahu actor even maintained that she had no knowledge of how the game is played, and needs to be explained everything in detail. Host Salman Khan even had a hard time with Rubina, and would often lose his temper while interacting with her.

The actor, however, was one with a big heart, and would be the first one to reach out if someone was low. Most contestants have lauded Rubina’s empathetic nature and how she believes in forgetting and forgiving. Not someone to run after immunity, the actor supported her friends during captaincy tasks, though she never managed to prove herself in action-packed challenges. She was even termed hypocrite when she would let go all her beliefs and rules to support friends, but that never deterred her from holding her loved ones hands through tough times.

Rubina Dilaik is the only contestant to have stayed in the Bigg Boss 14 house from day one. From fighting battles with others and herself, her wonderful journey culminated with her taking home the coveted trophy and cash prize of Rs 36 Lakh.