{"id":441705,"date":"2026-05-23T14:32:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T14:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/441705\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T14:32:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T14:32:15","slug":"new-strictly-come-dancing-presenters-make-first-public-debut-as-trio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/441705\/","title":{"rendered":"New Strictly Come Dancing presenters make first public debut as trio"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Strictly Come Dancing hosts Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe made their public debut as a trio with a visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.<\/p>\n

The annual event, hosted by the Royal Horticultural Society, is taking place this week at Royal Hospital Chelsea, showcasing the best and most beautiful floral garden designs as spring comes into full bloom.<\/p>\n

Emma, Josh and Johannes, who will be stepping into the shoes of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman<\/a> when Strictly returns later this year, looked dazzling as they joined in on the fun.<\/p>\n

Posing for photos, Johannes \u2013 who arrived in a perfectly on-theme sheer top decorated with flowers \u2013 scooped up Josh in his arms as Emma laughed and cheered them on.<\/p>\n

They later posed with guests who are attending the event on the grounds of the hospital’s Great Pavilion, as well as the famous Chelsea Pensioners, who dressed for the occasion in their classic red uniform.<\/p>\n

\"Emma<\/p>\n

Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe pose with a Chelsea pensioner\u00a0Ollie Dixon \/ @olliedixonphoto<\/p>\n

The trio were confirmed this week as the new hosts of Strictly after months of speculation<\/a> over who would take on the flagship show.<\/p>\n

Kate Phillips, the BBC\u2019s chief content officer, praised Emma, Johannes and Josh’s “undeniable chemistry” when the announcement was made.<\/p>\n

On the news, Emma, who has previously presented Big Brother, Love is Blind UK<\/a> and The Voice, added: \u201cIt\u2019s no secret that I\u2019m a huge fan of Strictly \u2013 I\u2019ve cheered and danced along from my sofa for years – so to be stepping into the Strictly ballroom is something I can\u2019t quite comprehend.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s impossible to fill the shoes that Tess and Claudia have left behind<\/a> \u2013 two wonderful, iconic women who have been the beating heart of Strictly for so long. I can only hope that we are able to help to steer the ship as beautifully as they have, into this new chapter.<\/p>\n

“I can\u2019t wait to spend my weekends with Josh and Jojo, the incredible dancers and the judges. Fingers crossed for a 10 from them!”<\/p>\n

\"Emma<\/p>\n

Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe\u00a0Ollie Dixon \/ @olliedixonphoto<\/p>\n

The new position is a big move for Johannes, nicknamed Jojo, who has been a fan-favourite professional dancer on the series since 2018, with regular competitive partners since 2019.<\/p>\n

Josh, best known for stand-up comedy and hosting shows including The Last Leg<\/a> and QI, appeared in Strictly’s 2024 Christmas Special.<\/p>\n

“Dancing the Charleston dressed as a penguin for the 2024 Chrnewistmas special of Strictly remains my career high point, so I am giddy with excitement, honoured and a little overawed to be given the chance to step into the biggest shoes in television,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I adore Emma and Jojo and can\u2019t wait to spend my weekends with them. I\u2019ll dust off the penguin costume.”<\/p>\n

Emma, Jojo and Josh stepping onto the dancefloor for the 2026 series will be just one of many changes coming for Strictly, which has also seen a shake-up of the cast<\/a> with five major exits, as well as a reported revamp of spin-off show, It Takes Two. <\/a><\/p>\n

Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on catch-up on BBC iPlayer.<\/p>\n

Add Strictly Come Dancing to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app<\/a> \u2013 download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.<\/p>\n

Check out more of our Entertainment<\/a> coverage or visit our TV Guide<\/a> and Streaming Guide<\/a> to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Strictly Come Dancing hosts Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe made their public debut as a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":441706,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[156,111,139,69,437],"class_list":["post-441705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=441705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/441706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=441705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=441705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=441705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}