STRICTLY'S AMY DOWDEN SHARES PERSONAL OPINION ON NEXT STRICTLY HOST AS DECISION UNCONFIRMED

Amy Dowden has shared who she would 'personally' like to see host Strictly Come Dancing, as the decision over who will replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman remains unconfirmed.

It was back on December 20 that the presenters co-hosted the hit BBC One dance show together for the last time. In October, Tess and Claudia confirmed their plans to step down from the popular programme at the end of the 2025 series, with the news coming as a shock to their co-stars and fans.

They said in a joint statement at the time: "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.

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"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."

It was then in December they were seen hosting Strictly live for the last time as the 2025 series drew to an emotional close, during which former footballer Karen Carney and her professional dance partner Carlos Gu were crowned champions and lifted the coveted Glitterball trophy.

Now, Strictly professionals Amy and Carlos have both been asked about who they think should take on the hosting job. Speaking to The Mirror at the TV Choice Awards this week, reigning champions Carlos said: "Emma Willis would be a great host for Strictly. And she is actually a huge fan of the show as well."

Amy echoed his thoughts and told the publication: "I would personally go for Emma Willis. She is a fantastic broadcaster, a huge fan of the show. And she is passionate about dance, just like Tess and Claudia."

While Emma hasn’t commented directly about being tipped for the hosting role, the former Big Brother favourite and The Voice UK host previously admitted she would jump at the chance to take part in Strictly herself. Speaking to The Sun, she previously said: "If I had time, I would do it in a heartbeat. I absolutely love it."

2026-02-04T19:28:33Z