Overview
- Claudia Winkleman says she and Tess Daly decided about a year in advance to step down because the show “deserves new” presenters and they wanted to leave “on an absolute high.”
- She rejects suggestions the move was linked to previous professional dancer scandals, calling Strictly a “genuinely beautiful show” and saying “it wasn’t that.”
- Winkleman recalls sobbing after their final broadcast in December 2025, describing the farewell as “momentous,” with a tribute message from Queen Camilla read on air.
- The BBC confirms The Claudia Winkleman Show will premiere Friday 13 March at 10:40pm on BBC One and iPlayer, with Jeff Goldblum, Jennifer Saunders, Vanessa Williams and Tom Allen as first guests.
- A new teaser shows Winkleman jokingly applying orange paint as she declares “I’m ready,” and official audience guidance instructs ticket holders to “dress to impress,” banning tracksuits and puffer gilets due to on-air participation.