The former It Takes Two presenter is one of the favourites to host Strictly in 2026
Zoe Ball has teased that things are going ‘to ramp right up’ in 2026 amid rumours linking her to the vacant Strictly Come Dancing presenting roles.
The BBC dancing competition is preparing for a major shake-up in 2026, with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman wrapping up their time on the programme after hosting together since 2014 in last month’s final. The pair’s final episode saw them reveal that former Lioness Karen Carney and professional dancer Carlos Gu were the winners.
Tess has been associated with Strictly since its very first season with the late Sir Bruce Forsyth in 2004. Since then Tess has been tasked with hosting both the live and results shows for over two decades.
Claudia began presenting the main show with Tess in 2014 following Bruce’s exit. The pair had been presenting the results together for a number of years prior to this.
No replacement has been announced by the BBC as to who will replace them, with fans continuing to declare who they want to see take over the roles. Among those being suggested is the likes of Alison Hammond, Rylan Clark, Amanda Holden and even Celebrity Traitors winner Alan Carr.
One person who fans have been vocal about wanting to see land one of the presenter roles is Zoe Ball. Zoe is no stranger to Strictly, having taken part in the third season with Ian Waite back in 2005, when they came in third place.
On top of this, Zoe replaced Claudia as host of the BBC Two spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two. Zoe remained the face of that programme, which Fleur East and Janette Manrara currently present, until her departure in 2021.
In November 2024, Zoe left fans stunned when she stepped down as the host of BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show after almost six years in the role. Appearing on the latest episode of her and Jo Whiley’s Dig It, Zoe revealed that 2025 was an ‘interesting year’ which allowed her to navigate grief in the wake of her mum Julie’s death in April 2024.
“I miss it and I miss the audience, I will fully admit to that, it was one of the best jobs I ever had. But I think after losing mum, so much had happened and not just losing mum, there was other stuff that had gone on before that.
“And this year has finally given me some time for myself to deal with lots of grief from my life, and that’s mum and other things that I’d perhaps not given the time to grieve [for].
“And it’s been quite an incredible eye-opening experience for me to just be like, ‘Oh my gosh, you never dealt with this and you didn’t really deal with that, because you just keep on running’,” she said.
Zoe continued: “So, this year has finally given me time for myself and I am so appreciative of that, because I know that’s not possible for everybody, some people just have to keep going and keep working.”
Last year did see Zoe return to BBC Radio 2 for a new afternoon Saturday programme. However, she left her programme on the station once again after seven months. Emma Willis has been called in as her replacement.
Looking forward to the future, Zoe revealed that moving away from the programme has allowed her to work on ‘three amazing’ TV projects which are set to air over the coming months.
“I’m really excited about [them]. It’s been a very reflective year. It’s been a year where it’s been good for my heart, my soul and it’s been very quiet.
“Life has been quite quiet and I have really needed that. And I think next year, it’s going to ramp right up again,” she teased.
