Claudia to quit STRICTLY?

This series of the BBC1 dancing competition could be her last

It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Claudia Winkleman standing alongside Tess Daly to present Strictly Come Dancing, but she’s admitted that her future on the show isn’t certain.

Claudia, 49, has co-hosted the main show since 2014, but started out on the BBC2 spin-offIt Takes Two way back in 2004. A lot has changed for Claudia since then – both professionally and personally – and, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end…

As one of the most prominent faces on TV, the pull on Claudia’s time will undoubtedly be high, but she’s the first to confess that she’s been incredibly lucky when it comes to work.

She says, ‘I’ve been so stupid lucky in my job and right now I’m thinking, “How is this still going on? This is not what should be happening.”’ In fact, Claudia says there’s every chance she may not be on Strictly for much longer, and that if she got fired she’d understand why. ‘If Strictly called me tomorrow and said, “You’re done,” I’d get it,’ she says.

‘I’m just waiting to be fired. I’m waiting for somebody to tap me on the shoulder and go, “Oh, sorry, we’ve got this all wrong, you are not allowed to go in again, we’ve got Rylan instead.”’

In fact, Rylan Clark-Neal isn’t far away and will host It Takes Two with former pro dancer Janette Manrara this year, after Zoe Ball stepped down.

Waiting in the wings