EXCLUSIVE: Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Ian Waite has predicted who will replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as host of the BBC show
A Strictly Come Dancing stalwart who has been involved with the BBC programme since its inaugural series has been touted as a potential successor to the presenting role.
Earlier this year, it emerged that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman would be stepping down from the popular BBC show.
The BBC has yet to announce who will replace the popular presenting pair, but former Strictly professional Ian Waite has offered his perspective on the surprising departure and suggested who might step into their shoes.
Speaking to Reach on behalf of ZingoBingo, Ian, who featured on Strictly between 2004 and 2009, remarked: “I think it was a big, big shock for everybody that they decided to leave but when you’ve been doing something so long, Tess has been doing it for 21 years, it’s a long time to be doing any job. She might want to just move on to do different things.
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“And Claudia’s got Traitors, which is huge now so I can understand why they made the decision. I think they’ve been amazing and wouldn’t it be nice to have two men presenting this time just to spice it up?”, reports the Express.
“It’s been very much female presenter led, the main show and It Takes Two, so it would be nice to see some male presenters back in there just to balance it up. I think the public would like to see it.”
He continued: “My prediction is Anton Du Beke. I think he’d be great He’s basically Bruce Forsyth’s love child isn’t he? Everybody loves him so even if he was a bit rusty in the beginning I think he’d be a great choice.”
Anton, a seasoned Ballroom and Latin dancer, has been a fixture on Strictly since the show first aired in 2004.
Initially a professional dancer guiding celebrity contestants, he transitioned to a permanent judging role in 2021, taking over from Bruno Tonioli.
In October, Tess and Claudia announced their departure from Strictly, sharing with fans: “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.”
Speculation is rife about who will step into Tess and Claudia’s shoes, with Zoe Ball, Alan Carr, Alex Jones, and Holly Willoughby all rumoured contenders. However, fans will need to be patient until the official announcement is made by BBC executives.
Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer
