The BBC has been dancing around the speculation for months, but Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe have been confirmed as the new hosts of Strictly Come Dancing.
Rumours have been swirling ever since Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced they were stepping away from the BBC competition, and Willis emerged as a frontrunner in recent weeks.
However tough the task, producers are hoping to recapture Daly and Winkleman’s dynamic styles, with the former’s sleek professionalism in the main studio and Traitors presenter Winkleman’s mastery of controlled chaos in the “Clauditorium”.
Their hiring follows a rigorous casting process, involving filmed auditions and chemistry tests, which is believed to have put presenters including Angela Scanlon, Rylan Clark and Alison Hammond through their paces.
The Strictly hosting roles are among the biggest jobs in UK showbusiness and taking them on is a major commitment: the series runs for three months every year, with the live show and results show recorded on Saturday nights.
Zoe Ball was a frontrunner to replace Daly and Winkleman earlier this year, however she confirmed in May that she was not offered the role. “I didn’t get it, but it’s OK,” she said on her podcast, Dig It.
“If who I think has got it, we’re in safe hands and our new hosts are going to be fabulous. I’m so thrilled for them, and hopefully at a later date, we’ll be able to talk about them in more detail.”
Alan Carr also ruled himself out of the competition, admitting that he did not “love it enough”. He told The Telegraph in May: “I didn’t turn it down, I was just clumped with everyone and had to say: ‘No, don’t put me in the mix.’ I love watching Strictly, but I don’t love it enough. People are always moaning there aren’t new, fresh faces on TV. Well, wouldn’t it be amazing to give it to a young person who absolutely adores Strictly and dancing?”
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While Daly and Winkleman hosted the pre-recorded Strictly festive special, the 2025 series’s grand final marked their final time in the ballroom as it was recorded live one week before Christmas.
The pair were given a suitably emotional send-off as Anton du Beke reduced Daly to tears with a touching tribute to her time on the show, before the annual montage of fans sharing their favourite moments segued into a celebration of the presenters.
