They’ll be seen hosting Strictly Come Dancing for the very last time during the annual Christmas special
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will get their own Christmas ‘gifts’ when they are seen hosting Strictly Come Dancing for the very last time.
It was back in October that Tess and Claudia, who also hosts the hugely popular BBC gameshow, The Traitors, announced their plans to depart the beloved programme by issuing a joint statement to the shock of their Strictly co-stars and fans.
They said at the time: “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.
“We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show. They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day. We will cry when we say the last ‘keep dancing’ but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.”
It was then last Saturday night (December 20) that they were seen hosting Strictly live for the last time as the 2025 series drew to an emotional close.
Their last show, which saw Karen Carney and Carlos Gu crowned Strictly 2025 champions, featured a number of tributes to the presenters, including from the Queen, as well as Mary Berry and fans of the show. They were greeted by a standing ovation from the audience, which included Tess’ husband, broadcaster Vernon Kay, as they opened the episode.
However, Tess and Claudia will also be seen hosting their last-ever Strictly Christmas special, which airs on Christmas Day. It’ll mark their last appearance on-screen on Strictly together, however, it was pre-recorded earlier this month.
Once again, six celebrities – including singer Brian McFadden and TV star Scarlett Moffatt, will be showing off their dance moves to the nation the Christmas Day alongside one of the programme’s talented professional dancers in a bid to be crowned the Strictly Christmas champions.
And as they’re set to bow out of the show, they were given a surprise each during their last festive special. First look pictures reveal that Tess’ Christmas present from the Strictly judges is an Argentine Tango with Aljaž Škorjanec, while Claudia is seen answering the door to Dave Arch, who wants to say goodbye in his own special way – paying homage to Christmas classic, Love Actually.
Tess has been at the helm of Strictly since it began back in 2004, first hosting alongside the legendary Sir Bruce Forsyth. It was then in 2014 that she began co-hosting the beloved programme alongside Claudia, who had previously hosted Strictly’s spin-off, It Takes Two, after her late colleague and friend decided to step down from presenting duties, a couple of years before his death in 2017.
But they announced their plans to depart the beloved programme in October, saying the “time was right”. During the closing moments of their final live show, Tess and Claudia delivered an emotional message to those who work on the show and viewers. Looking down the camera as the stars celebrated in the background, Claudia said: “That’s nearly it for this year’s Strictly. Thank you so much to our entire cast, our amazing judges and the best team in the business. We love you all.”
Tess continued: “We really do! And most importantly, from both of us, thanks to you at home for watching. It has been such an honour and an absolute pleasure sharing this with you.” Claudia added: “All that’s left to do now is please, keep dancing, and celebrate our fantastic winners, Kaz and Carlos.”
