The network has been looking for replacements for Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman
Tannur Anders UK & World News Reporter
04:11, 25 Apr 2026
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman signed off from their final Strictly show on Christmas Day (file image)(Image: PA)
The BBC has reportedly decided on the new hosts of Strictly Come Dancing, according to new reports.
The network has been looking for replacements for Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman after they left the hit dance competition show last year. It has been reported that the decision on the new hosts was set to take place on Friday, April 24 after a week of “secret auditions”.
The Manchester Evening News was not able to independently verify the reports that a decision has been made about the host roles.
“Yesterday was the final day of screen tests, so bosses have tried out lots of different combinations of hosts together and today they are sitting down to make the decision,” a source told the Sun on Friday.
“They want it done and dusted this week. The announcement may not come for a few more weeks, because obviously contracts will need to be signed but the powers that be will be naming who they want in closed door meetings as we speak.”
“They really didn’t want to get this wrong, which is why it’s been such a long, drawn-out process. Everyone who has auditioned and been invited for screen tests is on tenterhooks, they just want to know now,” the insider added.
The names in the mix of potential new hosts include: Zoe Ball, Rylan Clark, Alex Jones, Fleur East, Emma Willis, Bradley Walsh and Angela Scanlon.