Strictly Come Dancing hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly BBC/Guy Levy
It’s now been just two short weeks since Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced they were stepping down as hosts of Strictly Come Dancing, and already, rumours are circulating about who will be their successors in one of the biggest jobs on telly right now.
As soon as the news was announced, everyone started naming their top picks for the gig, with long-serving judge Craig Revel-Horwood weighing in with his top picks and current Strictly star La Voix making no secret of her hopes to become one of the show’s new presenters.
But there’ve also now been a number of reports in the tabloid press about stars who are apparently being eyed to take over from Tess and Claudia in the iconic BBC ballroom.
Here’s a quick guide to what’s been said so far…
Bradley Walsh
Almost immediately when Tess and Claudia confirmed their plans to exit at the end of the current season, many people’s minds went to Bradley Walsh, who has already proved himself to be a dependable pair of hands on other BBC shows like Blankety Blank and Gladiators (not to mention his years at the helm of The Chase).
In early November, The Sun claimed that Bradley was being “lined up” by BBC bosses to take over the Strictly presenting job, as part of what producers are hoping could be a “revamp” for the show.
The tabloid cited an undisclosed “source” who claimed: “The show will keep its key components like the set, the theme tune and the judging set-up – nothing to cause die-hard fans to kick off.
“But they want to freshen it up, maybe with a new-look logo and new faces on the dancefloor.”
Alex Jones
Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
In the same Sun article, the outlet said “insiders” were claiming that Alex Jones and Bradley were being “courted as the perfect partnership” to take over the show.
Their “source” said: “[Alex and Bradley] have been in the BBC’s sights for some time as Tess and Claudia’s exit plan has been known for a while.
“[Both of them are seen] as accomplished broadcasters. He brings the wisecracks and Alex is the calm head who knows how to handle live situations after 15 years of co-hosting The One Show.”
Crucially, they added: “Nothing is set in stone yet but the discussions are moving in a really positive direction.”
Best known for her work on The One Show, Alex competed on Strictly herself back in 2011, making it to the semi-final alongside her professional partner James Jordan.
Alan Carr
via Associated Press
After emerging as an immediate fan-favourite on The Celebrity Traitors, viewers only continued to fall further in love with Alan Carr as the series unfolded.
The morning after the final aired, the Daily Mail posted a piece claiming that the former Chatty Man host is now “among the contenders” to replace Tess and Claudia after winning over viewers.
“He has got to be up there with the BBC to get a huge new role,” a “source” said. “Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, Strictly.”
If the rumours are true, Craig Revel Horwood will be happy, after previously naming Alan as his top pick for the job…
Holly Willoughby
And then, of course, there’s Holly Willoughby.
When news of Tess and Claudia’s departure was first made public, former Dancing On Ice host Holly – who has been keeping something of a low profile since her This Morning exit in 2023 – was named as the bookies’ favourite for the gig.
Since then, there’s been another rather intriguing report in the press linking her with the Strictly job.
Bear with us here, but in the first week of November, Daily Mail reporter Richard Eden wrote in his column that he’d heard from former BBC One controller Peter Fincham that he’d heard from a reliable source that the job was Holly’s.
Fincham said: “‘My hairdresser also cuts the hair of a well-known channel controller. What’s said in Harry’s the hairdresser stays in Harry’s. But he says with great confidence that Holly Willoughby will take over.’
Tabloid reports as far back as 2023 even suggested that the BBC was hoping to “lure” Holly over to them from ITV via a rumoured offer to present Strictly.
HuffPost UK did contact the BBC regarding these rumours, but is yet to receive a reply.
We’ll keep you updated when more names inevitably start to trickle in, though…
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