With Strictly Come Dancing just a few months away, it won’t be long before the BBC announces the two new faces of the long-running competition.
Tess Daly, 56, and Claudia Winkleman, 54, stepped down for the BBC Saturday night show in December, with both having been involved in the programme since 2004. Speaking for the first time about the reason they had left, Winkleman said that she and Daly had decided to leave as Strictly “deserves” something new and they wanted to “leave when we were on an absolute high”.
A number of big names in British TV have been bandied about as potential replacements, with Zoe Ball putting her name in the ring and fans campaigning for Rylan Clark. Alison Hammond was seen backtracking after initially suggesting she was “too busy” for the role.
However, Daly and Winkleman’s replacements could be confirmed in a few days’ time, amid reports that Strictly will make the announcement after the Eurovision final this Saturday (16 May).
According to The Sun, Emma Willis has been offered one of the roles after impressing producers in her audition, while Ball and a host of other stars are out of the running.
Here’s everyone who could be one of the next presenters on Strictly Come Dancing.
Emma Willis
Emma Willis is set to step onto the Strictly ballroom floor later this year, according to recent reports. Earlier in May, The Sun claimed that the BBC had offered Willis a job as one of the show’s new hosts after “absolutely nailing the chemistry tests”.
In February, reports claimed that Willis was competing against Zoe Ball in a two-horse race for the top job. The host of The Voice UK is reportedly being considered for the more “traditional presenter” role – something BBC bosses are reportedly keen to have – with an insider telling The Sun: “It's a straight shoot-out between Zoe, who is the front-runner, and Emma. Only one will get it, not both.” They also claimed that bosses wanted Willis or Ball to be partnered with “a more left-field person”, who would take on Winkleman's role, like a female stand-up comedian.
Willis, 49, who is married to Busted musician Matt Willis, has previously turned down the chance to compete on the show due to work commitments. When social media reality show The Circle UK was cancelled in 2021, she said: “If I had time, I would do it in a heartbeat… The Circle is not happening this year, but let’s hope The Voice is – otherwise I will be doing Strictly.”
Mel Giedroyc
She's part of an all-female presenting duo herself, but it's Mel Giedroyc and Mel Giedroyc alone (as opposed to with her comedy partner and former Bake Off co-host Sue Perkins) who's been linked to the Strictly presenting gig. In February, reports emerged claiming that the Unforgivable presenter, 57, was being considered as a replacement for Winkleman, who is widely seen as Strictly's comic relief and speaks to the couples from the “Clauditorium” after their dances.
Zoe Ball
Seen by many as the frontrunner for the Strictly job is Zoe Ball, who has a long-standing connection to the dance competition. However, the presenter recently confirmed that she didn’t get a role on the show.
Speaking on her podcast, Dig It, in May, Ball said: “I didn’t get it, but it’s OK. I have worked through the seven stages of grief and rejection over the last couple of days.”
Ball being out of the race will be a disappointment for old-school Strictly fans, after she competed on the third-ever series in 2005 and took the reins on Strictly's longstanding companion show It Takes Two in 2011 when Winkleman left to join the main show. Ball, 55, stayed in that gig for 10 years before stepping down, and departed her BBC Radio 2 show towards the end of 2025.
Rylan
One of the other frontrunners is former X Factor star turned presenter Rylan. While Rylan, 37, has admitted to turning down the chance to compete on the show in the past, he does have a connection to the Strictly universe as a former host of It Takes Two. Rylan joined the show in 2019, initially co-presenting with Ball – who suggested he could be a good fit for the job – and later former pro dancer Janette Manrara. Rylan left It Takes Two in 2022, and while he's not commented on whether he could take on the top job, he did say that whoever took over from Winkleman would have “shoes as big as the fringe to fill”.
Alex Jones
Like Ball, Alex Jones is a former Strictly contestant – she reached the semi-final in 2011. The One Show host's name was mentioned earlier this year by Richard Osman, who revealed that industry insiders had told him “with absolute certainty” that she and Bradley Walsh had been chosen – although he added that he didn't believe this rumour to be true as the presenters hadn't been picked yet.
According to The Sun, Jones is no longer being considered for a role on the show.
Bradley Walsh
Jones's name has largely been mentioned for the gig alongside The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh. It would be a piece of brand synergy, as Walsh, 65, co-hosts one of the BBC's other flagship Saturday night shows, the Gladiators reboot, with his son Barney. Earlier this year, Osman was insistent that rumours surrounding the pair were premature. “I was like, ‘I don't think they are hosting Strictly,’” he said in January. “They have not decided who's going to host Strictly.”
Meanwhile, in May, The Sun claimed that Walsh had failed to make the shortlist for a presenting role on the show.
Janette Manrara
Janette Manrara's connections to Strictly go deep. The American dancer joined the show in 2013 alongside her husband, fellow pro Aljaž Škorjanec, and came second in her final year with singer HRVY. In 2021, she joined It Takes Two, which she now co-hosts with Fleur East. Asked if she'd want to present the main show in an interview with Woman and Home magazine, Manrara, 42, said: “To be honest, I keep giving the same answer: who doesn't want that job? If you love fun, family entertainment that makes people's hearts smile, it's the dream job. So, I think anybody that is in my field would love to do it, so we'll just see. We'll see what happens!”
Angela Scanlon
Irish presenter Angela Scanlon competed on Strictly in 2023 with pro dancer Carlos Gu, and has been linked to the hosting gig since Daly and Winkleman announced their departure. Osman was one of the TV figures to mention Scanlon, 42. Asked about it, she told Metro: “To be uttered in the same breath as Tess and Claudia, who I admire so much? It's phenomenal.” Previously, she'd praised the presenters for their “most amazing dynamic”, saying: “There's lots of different things to play for, but I would certainly answer the call.”
While it was reported that she had taken part in presenting auditions for the show, The Sun claimed on Tuesday (12 May) that she was no longer being considered.
Fleur East
Manrara's It Takes Two co-host Fleur East has been one of the bookies' favourites to take over the Strictly main show as a presenter. She's got the experience in live TV, having first risen to fame as a contestant on The X Factor in 2014 before competing (and reaching the final) on Strictly in 2022. The “Sax” singer, 38, joined the companion show as a presenter the following year.
Anton du Beke
Having appeared on Strictly since the very beginning (back in 2004!), Anton Du Beke has already risen up the ranks, going from pro dancer to judge, while also singing with the late Bruce Forsyth on the show. Speaking in an interview with Chris Evans, Du Beke said that he “would” accept the presenting job if offered. His fellow judge Shirley Ballas confirmed this, telling The Independent that she knew the 59-year-old “would love to be hosting”, but suggested that the judges should “stay in [their] lane”.
Siân Welby
The name of radio presenter Siân Welby, 39, was thrown into the mix last month, following a report in the Daily Mirror claiming that the Capital FM host (who is a stand-in presenter on This Morning) was being considered to allow Strictly to court a younger audience. “Siân might be less well-known than other names linked with Tess and Claudia’s jobs so far. But she’s got everything it takes with one special ingredient – a younger audience, thanks to her job on trendy Capital FM,” an insider told the publication.
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