The BBC hosts said in a joint statement: ‘We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time’

The Strictly Come Dancing hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly have announced that they are quitting the Saturday night entertainment show after more than a decade together.

In an Instagram post, the duo said that they would be leaving the show at the end of the present series on Christmas Day.

“We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream,” they said in a joint statement on Instagram.

Daly, right, has presented Strictly for 21 years, with Winkleman joined as a main presenter in 2014
GUY LEVY/BBC

“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.”

Daly, 56, said that the time was right “to pass over the baton”, having presented the show since its launch in 2004.

She was joined by Winkleman, 53, in 2014 after the departure of Sir Bruce Forsyth.

TV entertainment executives were unsurprised by the departures, pointing to the length of time that they had worked on the show, in addition to Winkleman’s recent success presenting The Traitors.

The duo have hosted the BBC programme for 21 years
GUY LEVY/BBC/PA

Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer, said that the pair had been “incredible” hosts.

“Their passion and dedication has gone above and beyond,” she said. “They’ve been integral to Strictly’s success over the last 20 years, but I understand why they’ve decided it’s time to hang up the glitter ball and get their weekends back.”

Advertisement

DOUG PETERS/EMPICS/ALAMY

An insider said that replacing the pair would not be easy. “But the show is the star and they are leaving it in really good health,” they added.

Strictly has continued to pull in big audiences, despite suffering a string of off-air controversies.

Allegations of drug-taking earlier this year followed scandals including the professional dancer Graziano Di Prima kicking his celebrity partner Zara McDermott, and the Sherlock actor Amanda Abbington accusing her partner Giovanni Pernice of bullying behaviour, which he denied.

The Go Compare tenor Wynne Evans was removed from the live tour after allegedly making inappropriate comments about his dance partner, Katya Jones.

Mark Borkowski, the PR guru, said that the show had lost some of its lustre amid suggestions that the scandals had left some wary of taking part.

“Strictly lost its cultural voltage. Stars are wary after all the recent headlines. Who wants to be the last act in a long-running variety show, thanking a studio audience that’s already halfway to bed?” he said.

“When you’ve fronted a juggernaut that’s starting to creak under its own sequins, the smartest move is to waltz off while the music still sounds half-decent. The exit is brand preservation. In the business of show timing is everything and nothing kills a career faster than loyalty to a dying format.”

However, the viewing figures indicate that there is still significant appetite for the show among its loyal fans.

The current series opened with 6.5 million viewers, broadly in line with the previous series opener, which went on to bow out with the comedian Chris McCausland’s victory in front of a crowd of ten million.

The BBC has already started thinking about succession planning for a replacement duo before next year’s series.

Names circulating among industry insiders include Rylan Clark, the 36-year-old BBC Radio 2 presenter, and Clara Amfo, the Radio 1 presenter, 41.

Both were among the first people to share messages of support for Daly and Winkleman after their announcement.

“There will be pressure for them to have some diversity,” one experienced executive said. “But whoever they pick, the chemistry between the two presenters will be crucial.”

Winkleman and Daly with Bruce Forsyth in 2014, who was an original presenter
GUY LEVY/HANDOUT

BBC entertainment bosses are said to be fans of Holly Willoughby, while Alan Carr’s stock has risen after his appearance on Celebrity Traitors.

Some have suggested that Carr could again be paired with Amanda Holden, after the duo have collaborated on three travel/renovation series starting with Amanda & Alan’s Italian Job.

The husband and wife presenters Matt and Emma Willis, the Big Brother host AJ Odudu, the former Strictly winner Stacey Dooley and the Ted Lasso actor Hannah Waddingham have also been named as potential candidates.

Other names being circulated include Janette Manrara and Fleur East, who co-host the Strictly spin-off series It Takes Two.

Sarah James, Strictly Come Dancing’s executive producer, said that Daly and Winkleman had been the show’s “matriarchs”.

“They have championed countless celebrities on the dancefloor, led us all through two series during the pandemic but more importantly they have a deep and genuine bond with the show and every single member of the team,” she added. “To say we will all miss them terribly is an understatement.”