Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman to present Strictly for last time

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will make their final appearance on Strictly Come Dancing on Christmas Day, more than a decade after they began presenting the show together.

The duo will direct the Strictly Christmas Special, which will air at 5.30pm on BBC One, and will see six couples compete under the glittering ball.

Daly and Winkleman shocked their fans Announcing in October that they would be stepping down at the end of the current series.

With names such as Zoe Ball, Rylan, Janette Manrara, Alan Carr and Holly Willoughby being speculated upon, much attention has turned to who could replace them.

After a rough few years for the show, some are wondering what will happen next for the competition.

But entertainment reporter Emma Bullimore says many people will still want the job.

“Make no mistake, this is still a big show on British television,” he told BBC News. “Not many shows bring families together the way Stricly does.”

For many, Daly and Winkleman are the faces of Strictly.

Daly has been presenting since the first series 21 years ago, starting alongside Sir Bruce Forsyth. Winkleman joined in 2014, having hosted Strictly’s sister show It Takes Two since 2004.

The duo became Saturday night TV’s first female hosting duo in prime time.

They announced that they would leave office sparked a huge reaction on the internet And It also shocked the contestants“nobody saw this coming,” the stars of the latest series tell me.

In a joint statement on Instagram in October, the duo said hosting the show was “an absolute dream.”

“We’ll cry the last time we say ‘keep dancing’, but we’ll keep saying it to each other. Probably at home while holding a pizza in sweatpants,” the duo added.

They did not give any reason for their decision to split, saying only that they “were always going to split up together and now seemed like the right time.”

Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer, described it as “the end of an era”.

“They were both such incredible hosts right at the heart of the show, their passion and commitment went so far,” he said at the time.

There was glitz, style and many memorable moments during Daly and Winkleman’s years at the helm.

A special package of the best tracks that worked on the show was played in the semi-final of this year’s Strictly.

The montage covered moments ranging from the early years to more recent memories and interviews with the judges.

The clips included Daly and Winkleman telling Sir Bruce they hope they “won’t let him down”, Daly “cutting” Winkleman with a magic trick and Winkleman dressing up as a ghost, with Daly saying “Halloween is next week”.

After the video played, the couple was presented with their own unique golden glitter ball trophy.

They too Completed a 24-hour dance challenge in 2019 She raised more than £1 million for Comic Relief by dancing for 24 hours and five minutes straight.

In 2024, which marks Strictly’s 20th anniversary, the pair picked up the entertainment show gong at the Bafta TV Awards.

Earlier this year, winkleman – who also presented The Traitors – and Daly For his publishing services, he was honored by King George III at the investiture ceremonies at Windsor Castle. They were made members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Charles.

It was an emotional night in the ballroom last Saturday, where Winkleman and Daly hosted the Strictly final for the last time. The Queen is among those paying tribute to long-standing hosts.

In the message, read by judge Craig Revel Horwood, Queen Camilla said their “warmth, compassion and pure happiness” were at the core of the show’s success, adding: “I think I speak for everyone when I say you are absolutely gorgeous.”

The current series of Strictly, which started in September, has been seen in media circles as a reboot of the long-running hit BBC programme.

This follows controversy last year over the behavior of some professional dancers, and in August, BBC investigation launched two stars of the show allegedly used drugs and Unnamed star arrested on suspicion of rape (It turned out that the development was not related to the current series).

BBC bosses wanted fans and media to start talking about the show again.

But the scandals did not stop. In October, a second unnamed star of the show was arrested on suspicion of rape. That development reported in NovemberIt was understood that he was not connected to the current series.

Bullimore says it’s “hard to know” whether the various scandals factored into Daly and Winkleman’s decision to leave.

But he also said that despite the controversy, hosting would remain “very attractive” to any presenter.

Following the scandals, there was speculation that the format might be paused for a year and reset. But Bullimore said he didn’t think that was likely.

“It’s definitely still really important for the BBC,” he said.

“You have to find something to fill that gap in the programs. And that’s a hard thing to do.”

Culture correspondent Natalie Jamieson said she would miss the show if it was suspended.

“There’s definitely an intergenerational clock in my house — my daughter texts her grandmother every week while dances are happening — and I would be sad if that cycle was broken for a year,” she said.

But he added that a break, even just for a year, “could potentially open up opportunities to showcase other inspiring and aspirational aspects of culture and arts through a new TV show format, which would be exciting.”

The BBC said plans for what the series will look like in 2026 will be announced in due course.

Six celebrities waltz into a ballroom wonderland for the Strictly Christmas Special on Thursday. These:

• Scarlett Moffatt – Presenter and television personality
• Melanie Blatt – Singer and cook
• Jodie Ounsley aka Fury – Rugby player, athlete, broadcaster and advocate for the deaf community
• Nicholas Bailey – Actor
• Babatunde Aléshé – Comedian, actor and podcaster
• Brian McFadden – Singer-songwriter

There will be group dancing, live music and much more; The list will include songs including Andy Williams’ It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year and The Pussycat Dolls’ version of Santa Baby.

Presenters Daly and Winkleman, as well as judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke, will also be present before the studio audience decides who will win.

Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special is on BBC One and iPlayer at 5.30pm on Christmas Day