{"id":601142,"date":"2026-05-24T08:48:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T08:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/601142\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T08:48:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T08:48:21","slug":"strictly-josh-widdicombe-nearly-turned-down-chance-to-audition-for-presenter-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/601142\/","title":{"rendered":"Strictly: Josh Widdicombe nearly turned down chance to audition for presenter role"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Josh Widdicombe<\/a> is waltzing into the Strictly<\/a> spotlight as one of three new hosts \u2013 but he almost decided to turn down the opportunity.<\/p>\n

The comedian will present the show alongside Emma Willis and former professional Johannes Radebe<\/a>, two years after appearing as a contestant on the Christmas special.<\/p>\n

However, he wasn\u2019t initially sure he wanted to step into Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman\u2019s shoes after being offered a chance to audition for the role due to the high-profile nature of the gig.<\/p>\n

\"JoshJosh Widdicombe had reservations about auditioning for \u2018Strictly\u2019 role (BBC\/So Television)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the call came initially just for the meeting, I thought, \u2018I really like my life, would I want to throw it into flux?\u2019 Because it\u2019s a big thing, it\u2019s a defining thing that you\u2019re suddenly doing it. But I just thought, \u2018What an incredible thing to experience\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Widdicombe said he was more shocked than anyone to get the job, stating on his Parenting Hell podcast: \u201cWhen I started out in stand-up, no one foresaw this. It\u2019s wild. It\u2019s one of the biggest shows in the 21st century, alongside I\u2019m a Celeb.<\/p>\n

He said he\u2019s glad the news is out there as he\u2019s been having to lie to people, including his kids as he couldn\u2019t trust them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m incredibly excited \u2014 there is a real fun vibe to the three of us, there is something for everyone, it\u2019s the ultimate modern family. It feels weird now, as it\u2019s four months away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rumours had been swirling ever since Daly and Winkleman announced they were stepping away from the BBC<\/a> competition, and Willis emerged as a frontrunner in recent weeks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However tough the task, producers are hoping to recapture Daly and Winkleman\u2019s dynamic styles, with the former\u2019s sleek professionalism in the main studio and Traitors presenter Winkleman\u2019s mastery of controlled chaos in the \u201cClauditorium\u201d.<\/p>\n

Willis and Widdicombe are expected to be the main hosts, with Radebe rumoured to be taking on a \u201croving reporter\u201d role.<\/p>\n

\"JohannesJohannes Radebe, Josh Widdicombe and Emma Willis who have been announced by the BBC as the new hosts of \u2018Strictly Come Dancing\u2019 (BBC)<\/p>\n

He said of his promotion to host: \u201cThis show has always stood for joy, heart, and togetherness, and I feel deeply honoured to now help carry that magic forward. To do it alongside the formidable Emma Willis and the utterly brilliant Josh Widdicombe makes it even more special. I\u2019m ready \u2013 sequins, nerves, and all, please bear with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, former Big Brother host Willis said that she\u2019s a \u201chuge fan\u201d of Strictly and \u201ccan\u2019t quite comprehend\u201d becoming a presenter on the show. \u201cIt\u2019s impossible to fill the shoes that Tess and Claudia have left behind \u2013 two wonderful, iconic women who have been the beating heart of Strictly for so long.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can only hope that we are able to help to steer the ship as beautifully as they have, into this new chapter. 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!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":601143,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-601142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601142","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=601142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}