{"id":419896,"date":"2026-02-11T12:46:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T12:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/419896\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T12:46:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T12:46:11","slug":"claudia-winkleman-issues-heartfelt-statement-as-she-shares-huge-career-update-after-bbc-strictly-exit-no-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/419896\/","title":{"rendered":"Claudia Winkleman issues heartfelt statement as she shares huge career update after BBC Strictly exit: ‘No words’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Claudia Winkleman has secured her first major presenting role since departing Strictly Come Dancing in December 2025.<\/p>\n

The 54-year-old broadcaster will front the world-famous Channel 4 dog show, Crufts, alongside Clare Balding, just two months after hosting her final episode of the BBC dance competition with long-time co-presenter Tess Daly.<\/p>\n

The pair announced their joint departure in October 2025, having presented Strictly together since 2014 when Ms Winkleman stepped in following Sir Bruce Forsyth’s exit.<\/p>\n

In their farewell statement, they confirmed: “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

\"ClaudiaClaudia Winkleman and Tess Daly bid farewell to Strictly Come Dancing in the 2025 finale | BBC<\/p>\n

The four-day event kicks off on March 5 at Birmingham’s NEC, with coverage spanning both Channel 4 and More4.<\/p>\n

Viewers can expect close to 20 hours of live broadcasting throughout the competition, showcasing breed judging, agility trials, flyball and heelwork to music.<\/p>\n

The highlight remains the prestigious Best in Show competition, where top dogs will vie for the title won last year by Miuccia, a four-year-old Italian Whippet.<\/p>\n

Channel 4 has broadcast Crufts since 2010, with the event organised by The Royal Kennel Club, the UK’s leading organisation for dog health, welfare and training.<\/p>\n

\"Crufts\"\/<\/p>\n

Ms Winkleman will be joining Crufts In March<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

GETTY<\/p>\n

Ms Winkleman, who owns a Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Skip, expressed her delight at the appointment.<\/p>\n

“I absolutely love dogs and there is literally nowhere else on earth I’d rather be,” she said. <\/p>\n

“I can’t wait to join this incredible team and I’m so grateful to Channel 4 for allowing me to be part of it. I have a pocket rammed with treats.”<\/p>\n

The former Strictly host’s move to join the Crufts presenting line-up follows an unusual admission she made last year about Skip, revealing that she has put her tongue in his mouth.<\/p>\n

\"Claudia<\/p>\n

Ms Winkleman shared an unusual habit which she does with her dog, Skippy<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

CHANNEL 4<\/p>\n

During an appearance on Katy Burke’s Where There’s a Will There’s a Wake podcast, Ms Winkleman said: “So I have recently got a dog who I am in love with. I mean, I’m going to bore you till your ears bleed. The two [kids] have left home. I didn’t know what to do. I thought I might steal a baby.<\/p>\n

“So instead I got a dog, who I treat like\u2026 I mean, I don’t put him in clothes, but I didn’t know, I\u2019d never had a dog before or any form of animal, but this little dog, who I open his mouth and insert my tongue. I do.”<\/p>\n

The Traitors star added: “Did you ever see that film There’s Something About Mary, and there\u2019s that old orange lady that goes ‘lalalalala’ with her dog? I was like ‘That is disgusting!’<\/p>\n

“It’s me! Turns out that I’m that lady. I’m like ‘How did they know?!’<\/p>\n

\"ClaudiaBorn and raised in London, Claudia studied History of Art at Cambridge before launching her media career | BBC<\/p>\n

“My husband was like ‘This is too much. Have you had a Bailey’s?’ ‘No, I’ve had a Ribena.’ He was like ‘Step away, away from the dog!'”<\/p>\n

Ms Balding offered a warm welcome to her new colleague, stating: “I’m really looking forward to working with Claudia, who is a fantastic addition to the team. She really loves dogs and will bring an additional element of fun, as well as an intelligent curiosity and, of course, style.”<\/p>\n

Pete Andrews, Channel 4’s head of sport, described Crufts as holding “a special place in the hearts of Channel 4 viewers,” adding it was “such a thrill” to welcome Ms Winkleman to the presenting team.<\/p>\n

She joins a returning lineup that includes regular reporter Radzi Chinyanganya and Paralympic swimming champion Ellie Simmonds, who returns for her second year covering features and interviews at the NEC.<\/p>\n

Resident veterinarian Dr Paul Manktelow will provide expert guidance on canine care, while Jim Rosenthal and Frank Kane handle commentary duties.<\/p>\n

Beyond Crufts, Ms Winkleman continues to host BBC favourites The Traitors and The Piano, with a new chat show also launching this spring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Claudia Winkleman has secured her first major presenting role since departing Strictly Come Dancing in December 2025. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":419897,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[6491,830,1633,96,50,2331,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-419896","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-celebrity","10":"tag-channel-4","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-sgg","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/419897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}