Winkleman

Claudia Winkleman has set the record straight on her Strictly Come Dancing experience, as she and Tess Daly are set to leave Strictly Come Dancing at the end of the 2025 series

Television host and national treasure Claudia Winkleman told fans to “be prepared” before revealing her true thoughts on Strictly Come Dancing.

Claudia, 53, recently announced alongside co-host Tess Daly that the pair would be leaving the popular BBC programme after over 20 years of holding various presenting roles on the series.

Claudia, who also hosts The Traitors and Celebrity Traitors, opened up about the origins of her working on the programme in her book Quite, explaining that it was the ultimate case of someone being in the right place at the right time.

She said: “Strictly has been (I don’t want your stomach to turn, so please be prepared) a gift to me. A barnstorming, stonking, thunderbolt of a present.

“I started working on It Takes Two in 2004. There had been one series already, my son was tiny and they said, ‘Look, can you talk about the foxtrot every night live at 6.30pm?’”

She added: “I could be with him all morning and then go to work. I know. It was a six week run and I was ridiculously lucky.

“I then went on to present the results show and when Sir Bruce resigned I got Tess’s job. Sometimes good fortune just falls in your lap. How did I, a short, scruffy, orange idiot get to be part of one of the nation’s favourite TV shows?

“All I can say is there has been no better example of right place, right time on earth.”

In a statement on Instagram announcing of her exit from the show, Claudia said: “It’s very difficult to put into words exactly what Strictly has meant to me. It’s been the greatest relationship of my career.

“From working on It Takes Two in 2004 until now it has been my everything, the show I will be eternally grateful for.

“I will never forget Len Goodman trying to teach me what a cucaracha is (I still don’t know) and the complete thrill and honour it was to work with Tess on the results show to co-hosting on Saturday nights.

“Strictly is a magical, glittery, fake tanned train and it’s been a privilege to be a tiny part of it. The extraordinary talent of the dancers, the band, the hair and makeup and costume teams, the unbelievable production crew and creatives – all utterly amazing.

“I’ve always believed it’s best to leave a party before you’re fully ready to go and I know the new hosts will be magnificent.”

Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly will be leaving Strictly Come Dancing at the end of the current series, with new hosts set to take over next year

Strictly Come Dancing fans have been begging La Voix to be the next new host after Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly announced they were leaving. The iconic duo announced last week that they wouldn’t be presenting the next series.

Since then, several names have been suggested who may replace the current hosts. Fans of the show have said they would love current contestant La Voix to take on the job.

La Voix made her own plea during Saturday’s show where she threw her own hat in the ring as a potential candidate. The Drag Race UK star took the chance to ask Claudia live on air for her job.

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La Voix was waiting in the Clauditorium ahead of her performance as she asked the host: “Claudia, while I’ve got you, do you know the address when you send your CV to the BBC? Just in case any new jobs are coming up. I’m just asking for a friend.”

Claudia laughed as she grabbed La Voix’s hand and led her over to the camera to take a turn, saying: “Give it a go, babe, let’s do it now.”

La Voix then had a go at reading the autocue, simply saying: “Tess.” She then handed over to the main studio as the entire room burst into laughter.

Fans took to social media to say that they think the star would be a great candidate to present Strictly. One said: “La Voix is pure entertainment. Everything she does/says is gold.”

While a second added: “La Voix has the personality & humour to be one of the new Strictly presenters!” As a third wrote: “She has the sarcastic wit of Bruce Forsyth, love it, make a great replacement for Claudia.”

“La Voix is one of the all-time greatest contestants this show has seen in terms of pure entertainment value. She never wastes a single second of screen time; she’s always ready with a joke to be cracked,” another said.

Tess and Claudia opened the show on Saturday night, where they spoke about their recent announcement. Tess began: “Just before we get started tonight, Claud and I announced this week that this will be our last series of Strictly Come Dancing.”

As the audience clapped, Claudia continued: “We want to thank you for your beautiful messages. We’ve got another eight weeks on this incredible show and a Strictly champion to crown.”

Tess concluded: “And we cannot wait to spend the rest of the series with you, with our amazing couples and these four [the judges].”

The pair announced that they were leaving in a video posted to their Instagram page last Thursday. It’s been previously reported that the duo had made a pact that they would always leave together.

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EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal, who plays Suki Panesar, has paid tribute to Strictly Come Dancing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman

Strictly matriarchs Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly will be sorely missed, says EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal. This week the presenting duo shocked everyone when they announced they would be departing the show at the end of the current series. Balvinder, 46, paid tribute to the “caring” and “supportive” pair.

“People are sad to lose them and their iconic presence on Strictly,” said the actress, who plays Suki Panesar. “They’re so brilliant. They’re powerful, they’re funny, they’re sexy. They’re sassy, they look amazing, they’re of a certain age and they still power through. They’re engaging, they draw audiences in, people tune in sometimes for them. It’s incredible what they’ve done for the show and for us.”

“They’re the best of friends and they come across like that. How lucky are we to be able to absorb that energy and be taken care of? They’re the matriarchs of the show, they really have taken care of Strictly Come Dancing in the best possible way. And what an inspiration for us as well, to be looking up to such women like that.”

Soap star Balvinder – who danced the quickstep to Texas Hold ‘Em by Beyoncé last night with partner Julian Caillon – described is an “end of an era” and said it’s a privilege to dance in their final season.

“They are of the old school of Strictly, the time of Len Goodman and Bruce Forsyth. They bring all of that legacy. So now when they depart, we’re going to have two new people that are going to provide the show with a different direction. Things come to an end and we just have to reinvent and move on. Let’s see what happens. They’re big boots to fill.”

Tess and Claudia announced their departure from the show on Thursday (23 October) in a joint video, where they said: “After 21 wonderfully joyful years on Strictly, we have decided that the time is right to step aside.”

They added that they have a pact to leave together. In a separate statement, Tess referred to Strictly as her “third child” and “second family” and promised she wasn’t going to stop watching Strictly but felt it was time to “hand over the reins”.

“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 we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to 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.”

Sources close to the pair, who always had a pact to leave together at the same time, suggested they had told the top show execs of their plan some weeks ago, but their video on social media caught many of the Strictly cast and crew off guard. Insiders said privately Tess and Claudia have been discussing the idea of leaving for around a year.

A TV source said: “The feeling is Tess and Claudia wanted to go out at the top and whilst the show is still huge and shortly after they received MBEs. Announcing it mid series also gives them a bit of a swansong and doesn’t take the spotlight away from the winner.

“Claudia is right at her career peak with The Traitors and other TV offers flooding in. Tess has been hosting the show for more than two decades and like that idea of more weekends with her family and her friends.

“The recent scandals around the show have also impacted the ratings a little bit and there might be more around the corner, so they weighed it up and feel it is the right time to quit.”

Another source close to the duo said: “They always said they would go together when they felt right and it just feels right this year.”

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Claudia Winkleman is hosting The Celebrity Traitors with 19 famous faces all trying to win £100,000 for their chosen charity – but Claudia isn’t her usual bubbly self

Nineteen huge stars are taking part in The Celebrity Traitors – but all eyes will be on Claudia Winkleman’s fierce fashion choices. Wearing faux fur coats, structured layers and statement knitwear, Claudia has honed a look that’s all her own, and reinvented

it for the celebrity version. “It’s absolutely nuts,” says Claudia. “Unhinged in taffeta was where we went.”

Alan Carr, Cat Burns, Celia Imrie, Charlotte Church, Clare Balding, David Olusoga, Joe Marler, Joe Wilkinson, Jonathan Ross, Kate Garraway, Lucy Beaumont, Mark Bonnar, Nick Mohammed, Niko Omilana, Paloma Faith, Ruth Codd, Stephen Fry, Tameka Empson and Tom Daley are all signed up for the gothic game show, each vying to win £100,000 for their chosen charity.

It’s the spin-off fans have been begging for – but at first Strictly host Claudia was against the idea of yet another celebrity format. “I was scared,” she admits. “Only because I’m in love with this show and I wanted to keep it small. Once a year or maybe once every two years felt like enough. My bosses, thank goodness, ignored everything I said.”

When she saw the calibre of celebrity queuing up to play traitors and faithfuls, even Claudia had to agree the show was a good idea. Working with Stephen Fry was a dream come true for Claudia and bearded comic Joe Wilkinson left her especially starstruck. “I could barely breathe when I saw them all in the Highlands. I’m such a fan of every single one of them,” shares Claudia, 53.

“The whole team were just in awe, it was hard not to scream, ‘You’re here!’ When I talked to Stephen Fry I almost welled up, I told him this was my dream. We’re incredibly lucky to have the cast that we have. Each one of them is tremendous. My family and I are obsessed with Joe Wilkinson, I had to stop myself getting his autograph for my son.”

Claudia oversees the games on the show but admits she finds it a challenge not to get too chummy with the players. “The biggest challenge was being strict,” says Claudia. “All I wanted to do was chat and be friendly but my role is aloof and grumpy. I found it hard not to just sit down with them and have a cup of tea.”

And she finds the urge to help them with the missions overwhelming. “Sometimes I try and drop big clues, but my producer tells me off,” Claudia confesses.

To help her maintain her distance from the stars, Claudia channels two classic villains. “[I’m] Cruella de Vil with a touch of Miss Trunchbull!” she laughs.

Hosting such a huge show is a dream come true for Claudia, but she admits she found the celebrity version tougher than the main show. “It was scarier, because all I wanted to do was chat to them and make them like me,” she says. “But of course, I have to be extremely unlikeable. It was tricky!”

Claudia can’t praise the celebrity contestants enough for the energy they put into the show. “They’re incredibly smart and kind,” she says. “They play the game beautifully and were fully engulfed in it. It was an extraordinary experience and we’re so so lucky this 19 said yes. It’s something we never take for granted and are so grateful for.”