Shirley Ballas, the long-running judge on the Strictly Come Dancing panel, has issued a statement following the announcement that hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be leaving their roles as hosts.
Both Ms Daly and Ms Winkleman have been involved with the world of Strictly since its inception in 2004, with the latter hosting its sister show It Takes Two and the former fronting the flagship programme with the late Bruce Forsyth.
For the past decade, though, they’ve co-hosted the Saturday night staple and both have come to the joint decision that now is the time to say goodbye.
In a joint statement released on Thursday, Ms Daly and Ms Winkleman broke the news to fans. “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream,” they began.
“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.”
Right away, tributes from Strictly stars past and present flooded in, including the likes of Dianne Buswell, Motsi Mabuse, Oti Mabuse, AJ Pritchard, James Jordan, Nancy Xu, Gorka Marquez, and many, many more.
Former head judge Ms Ballas, however, left it a few hours before issuing her very own statement on the news, and it’s one that’s left Strictly fans distraught.
“I don’t even know where to begin… @tessdaly @claudiawinkle,” Ms Ballas began on Instagram.
She continued: “When I joined @bbcstrictly back in 2017, it was Tess and Claudia who took me under their wings.
“From day one, they were my guiding lights, helping me find my feet, showing me the ropes of television and doing so with kindness, patience, generosity and always with a smile.
“I have truly never met two more remarkable ladies. Their dedication, grace, humour and sheer hard work has helped make Strictly the magical show that it is. Their energy lifts the ballroom and their friendship is truly beautiful.”
Ms Ballas didn’t stop there: “Hearing they’re leaving the ballroom has broken my heart. My dressing room sits right next to theirs and I’ll miss popping in for our little chats.
“Sometimes I walk in accidentally, thinking their rooms are mine. Those moments have brought me such laughter and warmth over the years.
“They are the duo that hold everything together and I’ll miss them more than words can say. Thank you, my beautiful Tess and Claudia, for everything you’ve given to me, to our show and to the millions who adore you.
“You’ve made my time on the show so very special and you both will always be superstar women in my book.”
LATEST STRICTLY DEVELOPMENTS
Ms Ballas signed off her tribute: “Love you both to the moon and back. Ps Claudia, I’m always here if you want to know even more about those fundamentals x.” (sic)
Thousands of Ms Ballas’s followers flocked to the comments to show their support, with many echoing their devastation at the duo’s imminent exit.
As well as their joint statement, Ms Winkleman has also issued a message of her own to sum up her time on the dance competition.
She penned on the social media platform: “It’s very difficult to put into words exactly what Strictly has meant to me.
“It’s been the greatest relationship of my career. From working on It Takes Two in 2004 until now it has been my everything, the show I will be eternally grateful for.
“I will never forget Len Goodman trying to teach me what a cucaracha is (I still don’t know) and the complete thrill and honour it was to work with Tess on the results show to cohosting on Saturday nights.
“Strictly is a magical, glittery, fake tanned train and it’s been a privilege to be a tiny part of it. The extraordinary talent of the dancers, the band, the hair and makeup and costume teams, the unbelievable production crew and creatives – all utterly amazing.
“I’ve always believed it’s best to leave a party before you’re fully ready to go and I know the new hosts will be magnificent, I look forward to watching them take Strictly to new heights. As for Tess – I’m so so lucky I got to stand next to you. You’re funny, kind, whip smart and a true friend and I love you.” (sic)
Replacements are yet to be announced, and the BBC has said it will announce plans for the 2026 series in due course.
