Claudia Winklman has been a firm fixture on British screens for over three decades and a beloved member of the Strictly Come Dancing family since 2005. Following the hosting of its spin-off show, It Takes Two, Claudia joined her co-host, Tess Daly, during the Sunday night results show in 2010. However, after Bruce Forsyth's departure in 2014, she became a permanent presenter on the main show's live episodes, alongside Tess, who has fronted the BBC competition series since its inception in 2004.
As the long-time fan-favourites of Strictly Come Dancing, viewers were shocked to watch Claudia and Tess announce they would be stepping down at the end of the series. In a joint statement, they shared: "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," the pair wrote in a joint statement on Instagram. "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."
"Some celebrities have said to me, at the beginning, ‘If I ever say "give it some sparkle" you have my permission to slap me round the face.' And then a couple of weeks later they are crying, going, ‘Claudia! I cannot get my heel lead right! I just can't!' You enter a world. You want them to do well. You don't want to see Judy Murray trip. You want her to move."
" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="BBC " data-licensor-name="BBC " />"Sir Bruce is a living legend and we'll all miss him very much."
" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="BBC" data-licensor-name="BBC" />On the Saturday after this, she affirmed: "We want to thank you for your beautiful messages. We've got another eight weeks but it's not about us. It's about this incredible show and a Strictly champion to crown."
"We cannot wait to spend the rest of the series with you, our incredible couples and these four," Tess added as she introduced the judges.
" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="Instagram" data-licensor-name="Instagram" />You may also like
Family-run florist rivals major retailers with 'lovely' Christmas wreaths
Pressure mounting on Meghan Markle to be 'breadwinner' as Prince Harry faces crisis
Britain's surviving World War Two heroes secure incredible victory after Labour 'betrayal'
"1.12 crore signatures collected in campaign against vote theft": Karnataka Dy CM Shivakumar
"We're receiving positive responses from all corners": Bihar BJP Chief on second phase of assembly polls
