Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman broke the internet on Thursday 23rd October with the announcement that after 21 years of Strictly Come Dancing, they would no longer host the primetime show. The dancing competition, that has become a staple in British households, has just hit its fifth episode of 23 seasons on BBC One. 

The UK’S first all-female presenting duo on live TV took to Instagram on Thursday morning, releasing statements and a joint video, addressing rumours that had been surfacing on social media. In hopes to stop the ‘rumblings,’ the pair expressed their gratitude to two decades of glitter and sequins, assuring fans that the sparkly baton would be passed to a safe pair of hands. 

Controversy has risen since the announcement, wondering what exactly the reason for the departure was. Wonderings of contracts endings or conflicts. However, with Winkleman becoming the face of The Traitors (a show which has only gotten more popular with the premiere of the Celebrity version this year), and Daly focusing her entire career on the Ballroom up until this point, it can only be assumed the women are simply moving onto bigger and better things. 

It has already been tipped by The Sun that Daly is being eyed by ITV for a daytime presenting role and there has been call by fans for Winkleman to host her own late night talk show, after her success covering The Graham Norton Show in February 2025.  

With the departure of the duo, discussion about who could replace these national treasures has sparked. The names being thrown around the most include Fleur East and Jannette Manrara, who currently host the sister show It Takes Two – especially after Winkleman originally made the same move into the main show in 2014. 

Other names include Zoe Ball and Rylan Clark, Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton (who won the show in 2018), Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell (who also competed in 2018 and are currently expecting their first child together), and Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks. While there is no unanimous opinion on who should take over on a Saturday night, it can be agreed that whoever it is needs to have both a connection to the show and skilled presenting abilities to keep up with the chaos that can be live TV. 

Pete Wicks and Sam Thompson are personal front runners. Despite little connection to the show, besides Wicks competing in 2024, the dynamic the podcasters share on Staying Relevant would translate into the perfect comedy act on the competition. With Pete downstairs with the judges and Sam up in the Clauditorium (will it stick?), the deadpan vs bubbly personalities would translate well with contestants. Thompson’s radio experience would also benefit them well in ensuring the comfort of contestants and fluidity of the show. 

No matter who takes the reins, both Tess and Claudia are going to be sorely missed in Elstree Studios and the dynamic in the ballroom is never going to be quite the same again. It does beg the question of if this could be the beginning of the end of Strictly Come Dancing. 

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