All of the names rumoured to replace Tess and Claudia on Strictly
Bosses are on the hunt for the next hosts!
Last updated 6 hours ago
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman left the TV world in shock on the morning of Thursday 23rd October 2025, as the pair both released statements to announce they would be leaving their presenting roles on hit entertainment show Strictly Come Dancing, after a huge 21 years.
Who is replacing Tess and Claudia on Strictly?
Since the shock announcement, rumours have been heating up as to who could replace them, with reports now suggesting bosses are keen to hire both a male and female presenter.
A source close to the show told The Sun on Sunday: "Bradley (Walsh) and Rylan (Clark) have been tipped for the gig, but Johannes (Radebe) is a new contender. All are very keen to land the role and offer a different perspective.
"The intention would be to team the chosen man up with a female. It will be a return to the years when Tess (Daly) co-hosted with Bruce (Forsyth), which was a very popular format."
Although there's been no word yet on who will replace Tess and Claudia for next year's show, screen tests are due to begin in April 2026, so we've compiled a list of who we'd love to see present Strictly.
Strictly presenter rumours:
Fleur East
As a former Strictly finalist and current co-host of spin-off show It Takes Two, moving to the main show would be the perfect step-up for Hits Radio presenter Fleur East! That is what Claudia did after all...
Janette Manrara
Alongside Fleur, we think her It Takes Two co-host Janette Manrara would be the perfect pairing!
Rylan Clark
Rylan Clark's name has been doing the rounds ever since Tess and Claudia's announcement, with fans of the show begging him to take over!
Johannes Radebe
He's been part of the Strictly family since 2018, and now reports are rife that professional dancer Johannes Radebe could move to a presenting role!
Holly Willoughby
TV host Holly Willoughby has a bit of time on her hands now she doesn't present This Morning! Could she revive her presenting career by switching over the BBC for Strictly? According to former BBC One Controller Peter Fincham, he's been informed that it is 'with great confidence that Holly Willoughby will take over'.
Alan Carr
Following his win on The Celebrity Traitors, Alan Carr is now being tipped to host the series, with his odds at 5/1.
Bradley and Barney Walsh
After seeing father-and-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh present on Gladiators, we think the pair would be great on Strictly!
Rosie and Chris Ramsay
Thanks to the success of their podcast (Sh---ed Married Annoyed), and their TV show (The Chris & Rosie Ramsey Show), married couple Rosie and Chris have gained a huge following and would be the perfect pair to host Strictly. Chris even took part in the 17th series of the show back in 2019.
Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton
Stacey Dooley first appeared as a contestant on Strictly back in 2018, going on to win the show with professional dancer Kevin Clifton. Their friendship quickly blossomed into more and now they are proud parents to their daughter Minnie, so it would just be the perfect fairytale for the pair to return as hosts.
Alesha Dixon
She's already been a contestant and a judge on the show, so could presenter of Strictly be next on Alesha Dixon's list?! Alesha won the fifth series in 2007 and was a judge between 2009–2012, replacing Arlene Phillips.
Marvin and Rochelle Humes
KISS DJ Marvin Humes and his wife Rochelle have presented Strictly-themed episodes of their show The Hit List, and Rochelle took part in the Christmas special of Strictly back in 2013, so they are certainly no strangers to the show! We think they'd be the perfect replacements for Tess and Claudia.
Hannah Waddington
Actress, singer, theatre star, presenter, there really is no end to Hannah Waddington's talents! After she hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool in 2023, Hannah has proved she can cope with the stress of live TV, making her the perfect candidate!
Matt and Emma Willis
Married couple Matt and Emma Willis are no strangers to presenting together, recently hosting Netflix series Love Is Blind: UK. Although Matt has turned down appearing as a contestant in the past, would he accept the job of presenter for Strictly?!
Alison Hammond
With shows such as Bake Off, This Morning and For The Love Of Dogs under her belt, Alison Hammond certainly has the CV to present Strictly! She appeared on the show as a contestant back in 2014, where she was paired with the lovely Aljaž Škorjanec.
Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary is no stranger to presenting a hugely-successful Saturday night entertainment show... who can forget those spins on The X Factor back in the day! With the right co-host, we think Derm could be a huge success on the show.
The BBC are yet to announce Tess and Claudia's official replacements.
Why did Tess and Claudia leave?
On Thursday 23rd October 2025, Tess and Claudia appeared in a video together where they announced they'd be leaving the show after 21 years.
In a joint statement, the paid said: "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.
"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. They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day.
"We will cry when we say the last “keep dancing” but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza."
Both Tess and Claudia also released separate statement, where they expressed their love for the show.
You can read their statements in full here.
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