‘It’s finally out!’ Strictly insider spills who will take over Tess and Claudia’s hosting roles

Claudia and Tess

The question of who will replace Tess and Claudia is something everyone is asking (Image: BBC)

There are lots of people in the running to replace Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly as the hosts of Strictly Come Dancing once they do their final show later this year.

The job is an incredibly prestigious gig and will be pulling in a lot of interest from different celebrities across the UK, and already there are lots of people thrown into the mix. Speculation for the replacement of the two hosts range from Zoe Ball to Holly Willoughby, and Rylan Clark to Alan Carr.

And while it could still be a little while before we find out who will actually be taking on the new role, people have been sharing their opinions already on who they think would make the perfect team to step into the impossible-to-fill shoes.

One of the show’s longest serving professionals Katya Jones is one of the many celebrities who has shared who she thinks could take on the gig, and her top choice is Janette Manrara.

 

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Katya thinks Janette Manrara should be the top choice for the Strictly gig (Image: Getty)

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Katya said: “I think Janette would make a better Claudia if I’m honest, because she knows the dancing, she knows what we are going through. But Alan [Carr], he would be hilarious with the judges, imagine him with Craig!”

Janette appeared as a professional dancer on Strictly until 2021 before moving on to It Takes Two as a presenter; then heading over to the main show as a host would be a route done before by Claudia, who hosted It Takes Two from 2004 to 2012.

Recent odds from bookies Coral put Janette at 3-1, the same as Fleur East, who also hosts It Takes Two.

However, while thoughts are running around over who will replace the two hosts, it’s unlikely to be a rushed decision, with bosses said to be assessing what they want the future of the show to look like before making the decision.

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Tess and Claudia announced their departure last month in a shocking joint statement, as they said: “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.”

The pair vowed they would both leave when one of them decided their time was up, but they’re finishing out the rest of the series before their final appearance.