Bradley Walsh got tongues wagging when he rocked up at the Strictly Come Dancing studio after hosts, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkelman sensationally announced they’re quitting the show
Bradley Walsh has added fuel to rumours he’ll host Strictly after he was seen backstage with the show’s crew over the weekend. The presenter, 65, is odds-on favourite to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as hosts of Strictly when they step down at the end of the current series.
Gladiators host, Bradley, is reportedly in final talks to host the primetime programme after dynamic duo, Tess and Claudia, sensationally announced they were quitting in October.
Bradley headed to the BBC studio during a break in filming ITV’s The Chase, where he posed for a selfie with the crew from the dance show. Both The Chase and Strictly are filmed at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.
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Head dressmaker Theresa Hewlett shared a photograph with star on X, formerly Twitter, with a smile a mile wide, posing alongside her colleagues ahead of Saturday’s live show.
She captioned the post: “The Chase is filmed next door and he popped in to say hi. What a lovely man Bradley Walsh is!”
Meanwhile a source told The Sun: “Bradley’s appearance in the studio has certainly set tongues wagging. Bosses are keen for Bradley to take over. He is a real pro and has brilliant experience hosting live shows.
“Producers need a safe pair of hands to steady the ship amid so much damage. Of course, he’d have a female alongside him as part of a duo.
And that female, is reported to be The One Show’s Alex Jones, who took part in Strictly in 2011. A source told the publication: “Alex and Bradley are both the favourites to take over from Tess and Claudia… they have been in the BBC’s sights for some time.”
“Alex is a massive fan of Strictly, too, so this would be the dream gig for her.”
The insider clarified that “nothing is set in stone yet”, but said discussions involving the pair had been “moving in a really positive direction” so far.
Tess and Claudia stunned Strictly fans when they posted a joint video in October, announcing they were calling it quits.
Addressing viewers, they said: “We have loved working as a duo, and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together, and now feels like the right time. We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and every single person who works on the show.
“They’re the most brilliant team, and we’ll miss them every day. We will cry when we say the last ‘keep dancing,’ but we will continue to say it to each other – just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.”
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