Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are said to have been locked in discussions with Strictly Come Dancing bosses as their contracts drew to a close
Strictly Come Dancing hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have confirmed whether they’ll appear on the show again.
The presenters have become a huge hit amongst fans each week as they front the BBC flagship entertainment programme on a Saturday and Sunday night. But it’s said that their contracts had been drawing to a close and bosses behind the show were worried that other broadcasters may offer lucrative deals.
Despite the show being surrounded by scandals including the alleged behaviour of professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima, bosses are hoping that the next series will be a roaring success with viewers at home. It’s said that they’ve pulled out all the stops to ensure that Tess and Claudia return.
Now, TV sources claim that having been offered a more lucrative contract, it cements Tess and Claudia’s dedication to the show – and indeed their relationship with the BBC. It’s claimed that the pair had been offered an “enhanced” contract by bosses.
Iconic duo Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be back on Strictly (
Image:
BBC)
“They’re looking to the future after the past 12 months which have been dogged by claims of misbehaviour behind the scenes by pros Giovanni Pernice and Graziano di Prima,” a source told The Sun. They went on to add: “Now bosses want to draw a line under this troubled chapter in Strictly’s history and focus on the positives – which includes having two women fronting the biggest show on TV, which is something the BBC are very proud of.”
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The new contracts also show the “commitment the corporation has to the show,” according to the publication. The BBC declined to comment when approached by the Mirror. Previously, Claudia who started presenting the programme in 2014 revealed the lengths she would go to, to ensure that she would still continue to front the show.
She said: “They’d still have to prise my cold, dead hands off that shiny Glitterball.” Earlier this week, Winkleman who also presents The Traitors revealed what really happened behind the scenes during the famous Blackpool week. She sat down with actress and comedian Kathy Burke for her When There’s A Will There’s A Wake and discussed a spontaneous night after a Strictly show in Blackpool. Speaking to Kathy, she said: “We were doing Strictly in Blackpool and for some reason in the audience was Peter Kay, Rick Astley had been performing.
“I want to say Dean Gaffney… Maybe that’s just my fantasy. And we ended up getting drunk in the bar at the hotel we always stay at called The Big Blue. I ended up doing the conga through the kitchen using a pizza slice as, almost, a steering aid… But I was using it to steer the conga…
“You can never be grumpy if you have either taken part or during a conga that will mark the end of the wake!” The podcast asks guests questions about their life and death, such as: “How do you want to die?”, “Who gets your prized possessions?” and more.
