Leaked rumours spark shock as Shirley Ballas backs TWO blockbuster TV stars to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman – and their secret shared past is revealed
Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas has thrown her support behind two TV stars to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on the BBC show.
It was confirmed earlier this year that Tess, 56, and Claudia, 53, would be waving goodbye to the dancing competition at the end of the current series.
Last week, the judging panel and the show’s cohort of stars paid tribute to the pair, who have been co-hosting the series together since 2014.
Now, attention has once again turned to who will replace the duo, who have been working together for two decades, with Claudia appearing on spin-off series It Takes Two before taking over from former Strictly host Bruce Forsyth.
The likes of Bradley Walsh, Holly Willoughby, Alison Hammond and Zoe Ball have all had their names thrown into the ring, but Shirley, 65, has backed someone new.
The judge, who joins Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke on the panel, is supporting two BBC presenter friends, who already have experience co-hosting together with their own docu-series.
StrictlyCome Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas has thrown her support behind two TV stars to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on the BBC show
Shirley told The Independent: ‘I think Rylan [Clark] could be a good candidate… Judge Rinder would be wicked in the Clauditorium.’
She added: ‘I know Anton du Beke would love to be hosting… I know that for sure. There’s an expression in life to stay in your lane. My lane is dancing.’
The judge also gushed over current hosts Tess and Claudia, who will depart the series when it comes to an end with its series finale on Saturday night.
‘They’re so polite and so kind to every single person they meet,’ Shirley concluded. ‘I think everyone’s going to be sad.’
Rylan, 37, and Rob, 47, have been working together since the launch of their first travel series, Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour, which aired in 2024.
The show, which started off in Italy and follows the duo as they dive into art, history and culture, has since gone on to have a second series filmed across India, with a third series in Greece commissioned by the BBC.
In 2019, Rylan landed his ‘dream job’ when he started hosting Strictly spin-off series It Takes Two alongside Zoe Ball – joking he planned to bring ‘mischief’ to the studio.
He went on to step back from the presenting gig in 2023, replaced by Fleur East, to ‘take some time off’ to rest amid a busy filming schedule.
Meanwhile Rob, who is famed for his ITV series Judge Rinder which ran from 2014 to 2020, took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2016.
He was paired up with former show star Oksana Platero, who quit the competition after one series, reaching the quarter-finals and finishing in fifth place.
It comes after Claudia and Tess struggled to hold back their tears as they were surprised with an emotional tribute during Sunday’s results show.
In honour of their time on the dancing competition, the judging panel surprised the duo with a moving video compilation of all their best bits.
Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke joined Claudia in the Clauditorium for a debrief ahead of the results of the public vote.
But they then called on Tess to join them, as Craig revealed the judges wanted to take the opportunity to pay them tribute, saying: ‘We just want to tell you how much we’re going to miss you and how much we love you to bits.’
He then quipped: ‘I personally, want to say thank you Clauds for the dresses and the shoes you’ve thrown my way and to you Tess, for all the pizza parties in your dressing room’.
A touched Tess and Claudia then became choked-up as they were presented with a VT of their time on the show, with comments from each of the judges.
‘Between the two of them, they are magic,’ Shirley declared. ‘They showed me the ropes and cared about me and I for sure am going to miss them deeply.’
And Anton and Craig poked fun at the duo’s poor dancing abilities, with Anton joking: ‘After all these years and neither of them learned a step of dancing.’
While Craig chimed in: ‘I know one thing, without a doubt, they will keep dancing… badly.’
Among the clips of the two friends joking about together, there were also clips of legendary Strictly host Bruce Forsyth, from his first episode with Tess back in 2004.
Sir Bruce – who died in 2017 – presented the show with Tess from its launch until his retirement in 2013, when Claudia then took over, with the moment they vowed to make him proud being shown.
And watching the montage, Tess and Claudia were overcome by emotion, as Claudia gushed: ‘We love you, we’re so lucky. It’s been an honour!’
While Tess added: ‘You guys are like family to us, and we’re always think that about you all. We’ve had the most amazing time.’
To top it off, the two presenters were honoured with their own miniature golden Glitterball trophies to commemorate their impact.
