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Alison Hammond reveals she turned down Strictly Come Dancing hosting role
Alison Hammond has said she was approached to become a host of Strictly Come Dancing – but turned the offer down.
The presenter, who rose to fame as a contestant on Big Brother and is now known for hosting This Morning, was one of the names speculated to be in the running to replace outgoing Strictly hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.
Winkleman and Daly announced last year that they were stepping down from their position as presenters of Strictly; in recent years, the popular BBC series has been at the centre of a number of scandals.
Speaking to the Radio Times, Hammond confirmed that she had been contacted about the vacant Strictly role, but was unable to accept it.
“I have, actually,” Hammond said, when asked about being approached for Strictly. “You didn’t expect that answer, did you? I can’t lie, I’m incapable.”
“I’m so busy, babes, that I’m not sure it’s going to happen,” she continued. “It’s unrealistic. I’m so happy they considered me but, like Traitors, I can’t do it because everything clashes.”
Hammond is juggling a number of other projects, including a presenting role on The Great British Bake Off and the forthcoming Channel 4 series Your Song.
She continued: “I would have loved to have done it – anybody that gets it, they’re going to land the perfect job. But I’m so happy with everything I’ve got. What would I drop, to do Strictly?”
A number of other names have also been mooted as potential Strictly hosts, including Zoe Ball, Rylan, and Fleur East.
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Asked about the speculation in January, Ball told The Times that Daly and Winkleman would be a “tough act to follow”.
“I think everyone’s name is being thrown into the mix,” she said.
“Obviously, there’s part of me that would love to do it. But I will still be watching, whoever hosts it.”
Another possibility is dancer Janette Manrara, one of the current hosts of Strictly spin-off series It Takes Two.
Asked about the possibility by Woman and Home magazine this year, Manrara responded: “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!”
The series will return to BBC One later this year.
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