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Strictly Faces Host Overhaul as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman Confirm Exit

The BBC has not announced replacements despite growing speculation about the show's next hosts.

Overview

  • Daly and Winkleman will leave at the end of the current series, with their last live show on December 20 and a pre-recorded Christmas special as their final broadcast appearance.
  • Multiple outlets report Bradley Walsh is under consideration to front the show, potentially paired with a female co-host such as Oti Mabuse or Fleur East, though the BBC has declined to comment.
  • Separate reports suggest Winkleman is being lined up for a fast-tracked BBC chat show from Graham Norton’s production company, with a possible Friday-night launch as early as March, which has not been confirmed by the broadcaster.
  • Insider accounts attribute Daly’s decision partly to wanting more family time, and she posted a photo with her 21-year-old daughter Phoebe from the studio; fans floated Phoebe as a successor, but she has previously said she prefers behind-the-camera work.
  • Vernon Kay noted on his Radio 2 show he will need a new on-air moniker for his wife post-Strictly, while Zoe Ball publicly signaled interest in the presenting vacancy.