Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe will host Strictly Come Dancing after Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s departure.
The BBC has named Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe as the new hosts of Strictly Come Dancing , replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman after their departure from the long-running dance competition.
The appointment marks a notable reset for one of the BBC’s biggest entertainment shows: it will be the first time Strictly has had three permanent presenters. Judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke are due to return when the new series launches in the autumn.
Willis, a television presenter known for shows including Big Brother , The Voice UK and Love Is Blind UK , said she had watched the programme for years and called the move into the ballroom hard to take in. “It’s impossible to fill the shoes that Tess and Claudia have left behind,” she said, adding that she hoped the new team could help guide the show into “this new chapter.”
Widdicombe, the comedian and The Last Leg regular, previously appeared as a contestant on the 2024 Strictly Christmas special. He said he was “giddy with excitement, honoured and a little overawed” by the new role, joking that dancing the Charleston dressed as a penguin on the Christmas special remained a career high point.
Radebe, who joined the British version of Strictly in 2018 as a professional dancer, will move into a presenting role after eight years as part of the show’s on-screen dance team. He said returning in a new capacity was “beyond anything I ever imagined” and described the programme as standing for “joy, heart, and togetherness.”
Sarah James, the show’s executive producer, said the combination was “unexpected” but that the chemistry between the three was clear once they were brought together. Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer, said the broadcaster had considered a number of candidates before making the decision.
The announcement follows an audition process in which several well-known television figures took part in screen tests. Zoe Ball has said publicly that she missed out, while Rylan Clark confirmed after the announcement that he had also been “in the race” and congratulated the three new hosts.
The hosting change is not the only shift ahead of the next series. The BBC has also said five professional dancers will not return, with 15 of last year’s 20 dancers coming back and new international dance talent set to join them.
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