Emma Willis ‘REVEALED as one of the new Strictly hosts as she lands huge BBC deal’ – after Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down
Emma Willis will reportedly be announced as one of the new Strictly Come Dancing presenters.
After Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced that they would resign, many celebrities were offered the role.
And Ms Willis, 50, is now believed to be a frontrunner to take over one of the positions.
It is thought that he was impressed during the chemistry tests because the channel saw him as a “safe pair of hands”.
A source said: ‘Emma has been offered the Strictly job and will take it. He absolutely aced his chemistry tests and the BBC adored him.
‘Emma is a household name and they are a trustworthy couple, so the BBC knows she will do her job properly.
‘He is also incredibly popular with the public and would suit this role very well. He was absolutely thrilled to be offered the job.
Emma Willis will reportedly be announced as one of the new Strictly Come Dancing presenters
Since Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced they would be stepping down from their hosting duties last year, a number of celebrities have been approached for the role.
One insider also said Sun: ‘It’s absolutely one of the biggest shows on television and to be trusted with the new era is something Emma is incredibly proud and humbled by.’
The paper claims Zoe Ball, 55, is expected to be the other half of the presenting duo.
A BBC spokesperson told the Daily Mail last night: ‘The 2026 Strictly Come Dancing Plans will be confirmed in due course.’
Ms Willis has had presenting roles on The Voice UK, Big Brother, The Circle and Love Is Blind: UK, which she co-directs with her husband Matt.
Over the past few months, many others have joined the cast to take over, including Rylan Clark, Alison Hammond and Alex Jones.
After weeks of speculation and a host of big names turning down the job, the nine shortlisted stars were recently summoned to a top-secret location in London to tackle full-scale dress rehearsals with a panel of judges and a live band in a bid to get the troubled show back on track.
BBC bosses held secret auditions and chemistry tests with celebrities and forced stars to sign strict confidentiality agreements to keep auditions secret.
The few people called for the final test have been closely monitored and bosses hope to make a decision soon.
Among those confirmed to appear at the callbacks were Rylan, Emma, Tom Allen and One Show host Alex Jones.
The Beeb recently gave a glimpse of what fans can expect from the 24th series of the hit show.
Dianne Buswell, 37, Nancy Xu, 34, Vito Coppola, 33, Julian Caillon, 30, Carlos Gu, 33, Lauren Oakley, 35, Amy Dowden, 35, Katya Jones, 36, Neil Jones, 44, Nikita Kuzmin, 28, Jowita Przystał, 31, Johannes Radebe, 39, Aljaž Škorjanec (36), Alexis Warr (25) and Kai Widdrington will return to the dance floor this year.
Zoe Ball, 55, is expected to be the other half of the presenting duo, the paper claims
Emma has had presenting roles on The Voice UK, Big Brother, The Circle and Love Is Blind: UK, which she co-directs with husband Matt Willis (seen together).
They will be joined by some new professional dancers who have not yet been announced.
43-year-old Karen Hauer, 35-year-old Gorka Marquez, 36-year-old Nadiya Bychkova, 30-year-old Michelle Tsiakkas and 36-year-old Luba Mushtuk took the podium.
Celebrities will be judged by Shirley Ballas, 65, Craig Revel Horwood, 61, Motsi Mabuse, 45, and Anton du Beke, 59.
Some of the themes returning each week will include Movies, Icons, Halloween and Musicals, as well as the annual visit to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom.
But unfortunately, viewers will have to wait a little longer to find out which famous faces decide to join the show this year.
Claudia recently said Strictly Come Dancing’s “glitz and glamor is starting to wear off” for her and co-host Tess.
The BBC presenter, 54, left the popular BBC competition last year after 13 years with co-host Tess, 57, after presenting for 21 years.
Now Claudia has insisted she absolutely “deserves a change” and it was “the right time” for the couple to move away.
Asked by closer magazine was starting to wear off for him and Tess, he replied: ‘Not that I wasn’t excited at the end, but we were both a little bit like, “Oh, yeah, great. OK, so I’m doing this…”‘
Claudia also recalled fearing her TV career was ‘over’ when she was approached to host The Traitors.
‘Traitors weren’t supposed to be like this. “I remember calling my husband and saying, ‘I think it’s over,'” she admitted.
‘They sent me the Dutch version to watch and I was told to take the risk,’ he said. ‘I’m incredibly lucky’.
The BBC dancing competition has recently undergone a major makeover following the departure of Tess and Claudia, with many familiar faces leaving the series in what fans have described as a ‘bloodbath’.
