![\"Television](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AD_151705474-f7a1.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe late Sir Bruce Forsyth presented Strictly with Tess Daly from 2004 to 2013 (Picture: Guy Levy\/BBC Children in Need\/PA)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tThe late Sir Bruce Forsyth presented Strictly with Tess Daly from 2004 to 2013 (Picture: Guy Levy\/BBC Children in Need\/PA)<\/p>\n
More than a decade ago, new Strictly Come Dancing<\/a> pro Alja\u017e \u0160korjanec<\/a> won the BBC<\/a> series in his debut year, the final season that was co-presented by Sir Bruce Forsyth<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, 12 years later, the fan-favourite wants a repeat of his victory to mark Tess Daly<\/a> and Claudia Winkleman<\/a>\u2019s farewell, he told Metro.<\/p>\n This weekend, the celebrities are taking part in Icons Week, which saw Alja\u017e and his celebrity partner, RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race UK star La Voix<\/a>, perform a salsa to Cher\u2019s Strong Enough.<\/p>\n We spoke to the radiant couple about their journey on the series so far, as well as how they\u2019re feeling following the news that Tess and Claudia are stepping down as hosts of the show<\/a> after more than 20 years.<\/p>\n Alja\u017e, 35, first joined Strictly in 2013, during which he was partnered with model Abbey Clancy. At the end of the competition, and after a perfect score for their waltz in the final, they lifted the Glitterball Trophy.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tGet personalised updates on Strictly\t\t\t<\/p>\n Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro\u2019s TV Newsletter.<\/p>\n Sign up to our newsletter<\/a> and then select your show in the link we\u2019ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.<\/p>\n In 2021, he announced that he had \u2018made the tough decision\u2019 to leave the programme, saying in a statement: \u2018The show has given me an opportunity and freedom to create and express myself in front of millions of people every weekend for the last nine years.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t But three years later, he threw a curveball by revealing that he was coming back once again, stating: \u2018During my time away, I became a parent, which has been an exciting challenge in itself, and now I\u2019m ready to experience the Strictly magic again.\u2019<\/p>\n Speaking to Metro alongside La Voix while in the midst of rehearsals for Icons Week, Alja\u017e said that his aim during the show is to \u2018get as far into the competition as possible to create more moments for our celebrities\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018You want to have Strictly as many weeks as possible, because it\u2019s a beautiful show to do. One of the hardest things you\u2019re ever going to do in life, because it\u2019s so alien to so many people. I feel like the more weeks you stay in, the more contagious it gets and the more you want to stay in the competition,\u2019 he shared.<\/p>\n AIjaz then added: \u2018I was the last one that Bruce gave the trophy to, so I would love to be the last one that Tess and Claudia give the trophy to. Because then I have bragging rights for the rest of my life.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Let\u2019s manifest that!\u2019 La Voix declared.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWhat did Tess and Claudia say about leaving Strictly?\t\t\t<\/p>\n To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web In the caption alongside the video that they posted on Instagram, Tess and Claudia wrote: \u2018We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. <\/p>\n \u2018We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time. 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. <\/p>\n \u2018They\u2019re the most brilliant team and we\u2019ll miss them every day. We will cry when we say the last \u201ckeep dancing\u201d but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza. Tess & Claud \u2764\ufe0f.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t La Voix, 45, is no stranger to TV competitions, having previously competed on Britain\u2019s Got Talent and RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race UK, on which she was a runner-up last year.<\/p>\n So, the idea of winning Strictly would \u2018be the dream\u2019, she told us.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s obviously my goal. You shouldn\u2019t go into any of these shows thinking, \u201cOh, I\u2019ll just do a few weeks and I\u2019ll go home.\u201d I want to go right to the end. It would be amazing.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ve been in so many of these competitions, and I\u2019ve never had that moment of actually winning them. So it would be a lovely milestone in my career [to say] I won one, but I didn\u2019t just win one \u2013 I won Strictly. And most importantly, I won Strictly with Alja\u017e. That would be the dream.\u2019<\/p>\n The drag star acknowledged how \u2018honoured\u2019 they feel to be a part of the final series with Tess and Claudia at the helm, describing the dynamic duo as \u2018wonderful\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018If you think about it, we\u2019ve lost The Game of Thrones actor, Dani Dyer, we\u2019ve lost Stefan to injury, Tess and Claud,\u2019 La Voix said, before quipping: \u2018I\u2019ve already started growing a fringe in case there\u2019s an emergency.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t Alja\u017e emphasised how hard a job it is to present Strictly, calling it \u2018probably the toughest job in the whole of television\u2019 given there aren\u2019t any breaks for adverts.<\/p>\n \u2018I was very lucky that I got to do a season with Sir Bruce, and when he didn\u2019t do the show anymore, it was incredible to watch how those two talented ladies took those roles. I feel like they really made the show their own,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n \u2018Strictly is such a staple in British television, and I feel like Tess and Claude carried it to new heights. They complemented each other beautifully all these years and made all of us a part of the show feel really, really special. We have all enjoyed working with them, and it\u2019s going to be a huge void that is going to be left there.\u2019<\/p>\n He continued: \u2018It\u2019s gonna be so weird not having them here next season. But I feel like we have to focus now on the season that we have with them, and just wrap up this beautiful journey that they had on Strictly for over 20 years.\u2019<\/p>\n The Strictly Come Dancing results show airs tonight at 7.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.<\/p>\n Got a story?<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"For](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SEI_267974960-ad85.jpg\")
\n\t\tAlja\u017e and La Voix bring plenty of dazzle to the Strictly ballroom (Picture: Guy Levy\/BBC\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n![\"Abbey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AD_123308611-6346.jpg\")
\n\t\tIt\u2019s been 12 years since he won the Glitterball Trophy with Abbey Clancy (Picture: Guy Levy\/BBC\/PA)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Strictly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SEI_233633066-c2f2.jpg\")
\n\t\tClaudia Winkleman and Tess Daly sent the Strictly fandom into a state of shock after announcing they are stepping down from the show (Picture: BBC Studios\/Guy Levy)<\/p>\n![\"For](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SEI_270796581-f11b.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race UK star said that it would be a \u2018dream\u2019 to win Strictly (Picture: Guy Levy\/BBC\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n
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\nMORE: Cheryl shocks Strictly viewers with unexpected first TV appearance since Liam Payne\u2019s death<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Strictly looks doomed after Tess and Claudia\u2019s exit<\/a><\/p>\n