{"id":104442,"date":"2025-10-26T04:29:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T04:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/104442\/"},"modified":"2025-10-26T04:29:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T04:29:12","slug":"strictlys-motsi-mabuse-needed-a-moment-as-she-responds-to-end-of-special-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/104442\/","title":{"rendered":"Strictly’s Motsi Mabuse ‘needed a moment’ as she responds to end of ‘special era’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The BBC One dance show’s judge posted a lengthy message on social media\"StrictlyStrictly Come Dancing’s Motsi Mabuse(Image: Motsi Mabuse Instagram)<\/p>\n

Motsi Mabuse has said she ‘needed a moment’ before she responded to the news that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are leaving Strictly<\/a> Come Dancing.<\/p>\n

They announced their decision to quit the BBC<\/a> One dance show via a joint statement on Thursday (October 23), with their departures set to come at the end of the current series.<\/p>\n

The co-hosts said: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.<\/p>\n

“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. They\u2019re the most brilliant team and we\u2019ll miss them every day.<\/p>\n

“We will cry when we say the last ‘keep dancing’ but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.”<\/p>\n

Sarah James, the executive producer of Strictly Come Dancing<\/a>, also paid a glowing tribute to the co-hosts. She said: “Tess and Claudia are quite simply the best duo of presenters in the business and we are so lucky to have had them as our Strictly anchors for so many years.<\/p>\n

“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. The Strictly Family is often referred to and these women are the matriarchs of that family.<\/p>\n

“We have been together and supported each other for a long time – through pregnancies, births and deaths and to say we will all miss them terribly is an understatement. Tess, Claudia, thank you for everything, it\u2019s not over yet \u2013 let\u2019s enjoy the rest of this fabulous series together.”<\/p>\n

Claudia and Tess confirmed their plans to leave Strictly at the end of the 2025 series(Image: BBC)<\/p>\n

Strictly stars both past and present were quick to react to the news, but Motsi said on social media on Friday (October 24) that she needed time to digest the news before sharing her thoughts.<\/p>\n

Alongside a string of pictures and videos of the hosting duo, the Strictly judge wrote on Instagram: “It honestly feels like a very special era coming to a close.<\/p>\n

“When I heard the news yesterday( obviously shocked & totally unexpected, why do I never hear the rumblings lol), I really needed a moment to let it sink in. I wanted to take a little time to find the right words before sharing this.<\/p>\n

“@claudiawinkle and @tessdaly have been such an incredible part of Strictly for so many years they\u2019ve led the show with so much warmth, humour, grace and strength. Two amazing women at the heart of one of the biggest shows on television. That\u2019s really rare and truly it\u2019s powerful.”<\/p>\n

She continued: “They\u2019ve made us laugh, comforted nervous dancers & celebs, carried the show with heart and elegance, and brought so much light to Saturday nights. Your friendship, professionalism and energy. Will truly be missed.<\/p>\n

“For me personally, I\u2019ve had the joy of working with you over the past seven years, and watching how you\u2019ve guided Strictly through so many moments, especially during the Corona years, showed me something truly special. The way you held the show, kept the joy alive, and gave people hope in such uncertain times was incredible.<\/p>\n

“You have also been a beautiful example of what it means for two women to stand side by side to support, uplift and shine together for so many years.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s hard to imagine Strictly without you but what you helped create will always live on. You helped shape it, grow it and make it the joyful, magical show we all love. Thank you for everything you\u2019ve given to the show, to the dancers and to all of us. Life is always moving. Nothing stays still forever. But what remains is the love, the joy and the legacy you leave behind.”<\/p>\n

Motsi rounded off by adding: “And Strictly, Strictly will always shine. It\u2019s more than a show. It\u2019s a celebration of life, joy, movement and togetherness. To be part of something that brings so much light to so many people. That\u2019s the true gift.”Now, let\u2019s make these next shows extra special. Let\u2019s enjoy every single moment we still get to share with @claudiawinkle and @tessdalyand celebrate them, Strictly-style! #Strictly #Gratitude #ThankYouClaudia #thankyoutess.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The BBC One dance show’s judge posted a lengthy message on social mediaStrictly Come Dancing’s Motsi Mabuse(Image: Motsi…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":104443,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1578,93,61,60,34373,1580,282],"class_list":["post-104442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-bbc","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-motsi-mabuse","tag-strictly-come-dancing","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104442"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104442\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}