Claudia Winkleman reveals how she and Tess Daly made their pact to quit Strictly Come Dancing together after their surprise statement as she’s set to host her own BBC chat show

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Claudia Winkleman shared that she and Tess Daly agreed they would leave Strictly Come Dancing at the same time.

Fans of the BBC show were shocked on Thursday when the two hosts unexpectedly announced they were leaving, sharing the news in a statement and video.

Claudia, 53, and Tess, 56, are leaving Strictly Come Dancing after the current season concludes, with their last appearance scheduled for the Christmas Day special.

Both of them had agreed beforehand that they would leave the show at the same time, rather than one of them staying and working with someone new.

I recently spoke with Claudia, and she told me the whole story of how she and her partner decided to leave the dance floor – it was a really interesting moment, and she explained exactly how they came to that decision.

They hatched the plan to quit whilst they were at the top, enjoying a pizza together.

Claudia told The Mirror that she doesn’t believe fans want her and Tess to stay on the show indefinitely.

She said: ‘I don’t think anybody would want that.

‘I am sure people watching would go “Can that small orange creature just shuffle off?”

‘Tess and I will leave at the same time. We made that pact over pizza. I had pepperoni.’ 

Addressing viewers directly, Claudia started by saying they wanted to share the news themselves, as rumors had already begun to circulate.

Tess announced that after 21 fantastic years on Strictly, they’ve decided it’s time to leave and let someone new take over.

“That baton is really sparkly!” Claudia chuckled, then turned to her friend and fellow actor, saying, “You’ve been with me from the start.”

Tess responded, indicating Claudia, ‘I worked with Bruce, the wonderful Bruce Forsyth, over twenty years ago, but I’ve spent much more time working with you.’

It’s been a significant part of our lives, from when our children were very young to now that they’re grown, and we truly appreciate every moment we’ve shared.

Claudia went on to say how grateful they were to be a part of the wonderful show, and emphasized that the entire Strictly team were the ones who truly made it special.

We really enjoyed working together, and hosting Strictly was a wonderful experience for us.

We always planned to finish this journey together, and it feels like the perfect moment. We’re excited to enjoy the rest of this incredible series, and we want to express our huge gratitude to the BBC and everyone who works on the show.

This team is incredibly talented, and we’re going to miss them dearly. Saying goodbye will be hard, but we’ll always encourage each other to keep going.

‘Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.’

Oh my gosh, you guys, I just saw this! Apparently, Claudia’s getting her OWN show on the BBC, which is AMAZING, and get this – it’s being made by the same people who do The Graham Norton Show! I mean, seriously? They know how to make a good chat show, and now they’re working with Claudia?! I’m already counting down the days – it’s going to be incredible!

So Television, the company created by Norton and Graham Stuart, will produce Winkleman’s show. TV executives hope she’ll become as popular and beloved as the late Terry Wogan.

The BBC believes the upcoming show hosted by Claudia Winkleman will be a big hit, and they plan to air it during breaks in The Graham Norton Show’s schedule.

Claudia Winkleman received a lot of positive attention for filling in for Graham Norton on the BBC earlier this year while he was taking a break. People particularly liked her work hosting ‘Traitors’.

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2025-10-25 01:33