This series will be Vernon Kay’s final season, according to her Strictly Come Dancing co-host Claudia Winkleman and her wife Tess Daly.
Vernon Kay has slammed ongoing speculation over who will replace his wife Tess Daly, and Claudia Winkleman, on Strictly Come Dancing next year. Last month, the hosting duo announced they would be handing over the “sparkly baton” to fresh faces after a 12-year stint together.
There have been numerous names suggested as potential successors since their announcement, including La Voix, which was a contestant this year. She was forced to withdraw from the competition last week as a result of a broken leg she sustained during rehearsals with Aljaz Skorjanec.
Scores from the previous week have been moved forward, and there was no vote-off following her sudden departure. Instead of featuring a dance-off, the results show bid La Voix its emotional farewell and four previous contestants gave four incredible performances.
Discussing the events on Monday during an exchange with Vernon on his BBC Radio 2, Scott Mills said about La Voix’s exit: “Terrible news about the ankle, but who gets a send off like that on Strictly?
The ex-contestant continued, “Typically, you have to dance awkwardly with your partner, and it’s not rehearsed. And the band sings, “I’ve had the time of my life,” before going on to say “I’ve had the time of my life.”
While discussing the subject, Vernon took the opportunity to discuss ongoing rumors about replacing his wife with Claudia.
Since Tess and Claud announced their departure, receptionists, doctors, and other media outlets have all said, “It’s going to be this person, it’s going to be that person,” he said. Let me just say for the record that many people listen to his because they frequently use his.
Do you really believe that the Strictly Come Dancing mid-series hosts will hold a roundtable discussion about hosting it next year? Scott responded, “No, I don’t believe so.”
Vernon continued with his rant, saying that sometimes using your fingers on the keyboard makes a big difference.
When Scott inquired about replacing his wife, he joked, “I tell you who it is, it’s me and Rylan [Clark].” You’re done, it’s simple.
Following Scott’s observation that producers are currently focused on the present series, Vernon concurred, stating: “It’s not even finished, as if they’ve got time! They’ve got a Christmas special to organise, just behave yourselves! Wind your necks in, it does my head in.”
Vernon, who has been married to Strictly’s main presenter for more than 20 years, claimed he has been questioned about the program frequently despite not having any inside information. Making his point clear, Scott rephrased his colleague and said, “Exactly. Stop speculating about who the new hosts will be because the other ones haven’t finished yet.”
In addition to La Voix, several other well-known names have been suggested as potential successors, including Holly Willoughby, Paddy McGuinness, Zoe Ball and Alex Jones.
However, Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer, recently stated that no decisions will be made until the following year despite speculation.
She stated on the podcast The Rest Is Entertainment that, in terms of the process, the production team, BBC Studios, Sarah James [Executive Producer], her team, and all these outstanding individuals who make it, they are now focusing on releasing two shows per week.
“So we haven’t got time at the moment to start doing any screen tests or chemistry testing. I don’t think we’ll really be looking at it until the New Year because we want to make sure we deliver a great Strictly series.”
