4 hours ago
11
After more than two decades with Strictly Come Dancing, Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly are approaching their last tango.
The much-loved presenters will present the show’s live final on Saturday night and make their last appearance together for the Christmas Day special.
No replacement for the duo has been revealed yet.
In a shock announcement in October, the pair said they would step down from the long-running and hugely successful BBC juggernaut and pass along the “very sparkly baton”.
The news came as Winkleman’s profile reached new heights after the smash hit success of The Traitors, which she hosts. There are reports that she is in advanced talks to host her own chatshow.
There have been many runners and riders. Holly Willoughby, Fleur East and Emma Willis are among names who have been floated since the news was announced but, earlier this week, Ladbrokes suspended betting on replacements after Zoe Ball announced she was stepping down from her BBC Radio 2 show. Industry experts are also considering her as the new host, with Boyd Hilton, the entertainment director at Heat magazine, calling her a “good bet”.
The broadcaster is probably looking for another duo to take the mantle, with the Sun reporting those in the running are being put through an in-studio chemistry test. So, who could take the Strictly helm?
Zoe Ball
Ball, 55, is hardly a Strictly novice. She competed in the show in 2005, coming third with her dancing partner, Ian Waite. In 2011, she replaced Winkleman as the host of Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, presenting the companion show until 2021. “She has been connected to the show before and is clearly a fan of it. She is just a brilliant presenter,” said Hilton, adding that he could see Rylan Clark “alongside her, doing the Claudia job”.
Speculation that Ball could take on the Strictly mantle intensified last week after she announced live on air that she would step down from her BBC Radio 2 Saturday show. While the news has led to some theorising about a Strictly takeover, Ball, who is one of the BBC’s highest-paid stars, might just want some downtime. Last year, she announced that she was stepping down from her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show after six years to “focus on family”.
Alan Carr
The Chatty Man made the nation laugh and, in the end, cry with his plodding double-bluffs on Celebrity Traitors. After Carr, 49, managed to outwit Stephen Fry, David Olusoga and Nick Mohammed, he now finds himself a sudden and unexpected frontrunner for one of TV’s most prestigious hosting gigs. He addressed the mounting speculation earlier this week. “I know my name’s been bandied about,” he told the Daily Mail. “It’s nice to be in the running, but no one approached me.” Hilton said Carr would “be amazing but I just don’t think he needs it right now” because, after his Celebrity Traitors win, “he’s almost too big for it now, he could do anything he wants. Does he really need a weekly live TV gig. It’s a stressful thing.”
Carr also announced a 2027 tour on Wednesday, which could knock him out of the running because, as one Strictly insider told the Daily Mail: “Saturdays are sacrosanct to the Strictly team, and as brilliant as Alan is, they won’t be able to accommodate a change.”
Alison Hammond
Hammond, 50, who has had an astonishing rise from Big Brother contestant to one of the nation’s most widely known and well-regarded presenters, is in pole position to step into one of TV’s top jobs. Hammond is no stranger to the ballroom herself, having competed in the 10th series in 2014. ITV may be catching wind of the growing momentum behind one of its star presenters. Hammond signed a new contract with the broadcaster this week, where she will continue her hosting duties on This Morning – though, in theory, she could still present the Saturday primetime hit as This Morning does not air at weekends.
Hilton said Hammond “would be amazing and also someone who I think the BBC would be thrilled to get”, but questioned whether she could fit the show into her schedule. Alongside This Morning, Hammond co-hosts The Great British Bake Off and Alison Hammond: For the Love of Dogs. “I just wonder whether she would have the time,” he said.
Bradley Walsh
Walsh, 65, has been mooted as a potential Strictly successor. He is a studio formats veteran who has presented several gameshows, including the ITV daytime hit The Chase. That show is filmed next door to Strictly, so Walsh has probably already rubbed shoulders with the dancing show’s crew. The Sun reported that Walsh had done a chemistry test with Alex Jones. He was pressed about this on Friday by Denise Welch on The Scott Mills Breakfast Show. When Welch asked Walsh if this was true, he dodged the question, saying: “I think it’s a big old commitment. I really do. It’s a great gig. It’s a great show.”
Hilton said Walsh was “the closest to Bruce Forsyth in the sense of an old-school comedian doing it”, but questioned whether he really wanted the job. “He’s very busy. It doesn’t feel like it’s the kind of show that he would immediately go: ‘Yeah, I definitely want to do that.’ But I may be wrong,” said Hilton.
Holly Willoughby
Willoughby, 44, was one of TV’s best-known presenters, dominating ITV’s schedule for the past two decades. But the former This Morning host took a step back from the limelight in 2023 after a former security guard was arrested over a foiled plot to kidnap, rape and murder her.
She has made a slow return to our TV screens but landing the Strictly job would plant her back in the big league. Hilton said: “The BBC would be quite excited about her. She’s probably the biggest name who could do a great job.” He added that she was “such box office because she’s a big star. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went for her.”
