Claudia Winkleman left Strictly Come Dancing’s spin-off show It Takes Two for Zoe Ball, who is now one of the favorites to take her place.
Former It Takes Two presenter Zoe Ball is the first to declare an interest in taking over the Strictly Come Dancing presenting gig now that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have announced that they are stepping down.
The TV and radio host made a point of sharing her interest in re-stocking Tess and Claudia’s sparkly shoes on her podcast. It would be “amazing” for her to return to the series, she told her co-host Jo Whiley. This comes shortly after Zoe, who succeeded Claudia when she left the spin-off Strictly, became one of the bookies’ favorites to get the presenting gig.
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“I think everyone would like to do that job,” she said, when Jo asked her if she wanted to do it. “It’s an amazing job, it’s the best Saturday night show. When I’m watching Ellie dancing with Vito or Lewis and Katya and Alex and JoJo…. they’re just so amazing. It still brings so much joy to people’s lives, that show. Whoever takes over will have the best gig in the world.”
The first major name to apply for the position is Zoe. Rylan Clark, who also hosted a series of It Takes Two, and Janette Manrara and Fleur East, the spinoff’s current presenters, are the other favorites to take over.
Zoe hosted It Takes Two in 2011 before taking over the hosting duties from Strictly Come Dancing in 2005. Claudia, who had been helming the series, made the transition to the main show at this time. When Claudia took a leave of absence in 2014, Zooe has also guest-produced Strictly Come Dancing. After ten years there, Zoe left the show in 2021.
If Zoe were to take up the role, it would not just be a return to Strictly for her. It would also be a return to a primetime BBC slot. The presenter stepped down from her Radio 2 Breakfast Show after nearly six years in 2024.
When she first took over from Chris Evans in 2019, she was the first woman to present the show solo and became one of the BBC’s highest paid stars.
Everyone expected her to notice that she had withdrawn, and that she wanted to spend more time with her children and pursue new endeavors. However, in August, she claimed that she occasionally questioned her decision.
Jo added that her ideal presenting duo would be Zoe and Alan Carr, who is currently on The Celebrity Traitors. Alan’s popularity on the show has skyrocketed, and talks are already underway for him to have his own chat show following his Celeb Traitors stint.
Zoe praised Tess and Claudia for their support of the show elsewhere on the podcast. I just want to express my gratitude to the girls. Both of them are fantastic, and I believe that’s going to be a difficult act to follow.
Since 2004, Tess and Claudia have a relationship with Strictly. Many people were shocked when they learned their exit. The pair made the announcement in a joint statement on Instagram, which read, “We have loved working as a duo, and hosting Strictly has been a dream. We had planned to leave together before, but now it seems appropriate to do so.
Source: Mirror
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