14 Stars Who've Been Rumoured To Be In The Running To Host Strictly Come Dancing

Following their tear-jerking last live show earlier this month, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have now bid farewell to Strictly Come Dancing for good, following this year’s pre-recorded Christmas Day special.

Tess had been with Strictly since its inception in 2004, with Claudia joining on a permanent basis a decade later, taking over presenting duties from the late Sir Bruce Forsyth.

At the time, the duo made history as the first female presenting team to present a primetime show together, and there’s no denying that fans of the long-running BBC dance show are going to miss what each of them had to bring to the table on those wintery Saturday nights.

But, with Tess and Claudia having now left the ballroom for good, people are now looking to the future, and speculating over exactly who could be brought in to fill their shoes.

Rumours are already rife, with The Sun most recently publishing a list of names supposedly doing “chemistry tests” with the aim of landing the coveted Strictly role.

Here’s a quick round-up of everyone who’s been rumoured for the gig so far…

Bradley Walsh

Even before The Sun published its list of the supposed “golden ten” stars supposedly in consideration for the Strictly gig, Bradley Walsh was named in the press as a top pick to take over at the helm of the dance show.

Currently known for his work at the helm of The Chase, Gladiators and Blankety Blank, the tabloid reported in November that Bradley was being “lined up” by higher-ups at the BBC to take over from Tess and Claudia, as part of an apparent “revamp” for the show.

Appearing to cast doubt on the rumours, he later told Radio 2: “I think it’s a big old commitment, I really do. It’s a few Fridays and Saturdays.”

However, he conceded that it would be a “great gig” on a “great show”.

Alex Jones

At the time Bradey’s name was first mentioned as a possible Strictly host, The One Show host Alex Jones was mentioned as a potential co-host.

The Sun cited “insiders” who claimed that Alex and Bradley were being “courted as the perfect partnership” to take over the show.

Later, Alex was one of the 10 names listed to be on the rumoured shortlist.

Alan Carr

Tess and Claudia’s departure was announced in the middle of this year’s series of The Celebrity Traitors, meaning plenty of people’s minds immediately went to scene-stealer Alan Carr as a favourite for the hosting job.

Already a popular stand-up comic, Alan has plenty of TV experience to his name now, not just as host of his talk show Chatty Man, but also series like Picture Slam, Interior Design Masters and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.

However, he quickly poured water on the rumours, insisting the gig would be “too nerve-racking” for him.

That being said, he was still named in The Sun’s subsequent list of possible hosts.

Amanda Holden

Also on that list was Amanda Holden, with whom Alan shares the screen in their popular travel series.

Like Alan, Amanda was mentioned on The Sun’s rumoured shortlist, but also dispelled the rumours, insisting that her commitments with Britain’s Got Talent would mean she wouldn’t be able to do Strictly.

“We are so flattered to be in that mix,” she told her Heart listeners. “[But] we both are not doing it.”

Zoe Ball

When we first heard that there were two vacant spots on the Strictly presenting line-up, our minds immediately went to Zoe Ball, who competed in the third series before going on to front companion show It Takes Two for 10 seasons.

She’s even guest hosted the main show, filling in for Claudia Winkleman back in 2014.

Excitingly, Zoe is another of the names mentioned in The Sun’s rumoured shortlist, and fuelling the rumours even further, she recently announced she was stepping down from her daily Radio 2 show.

Holly Willoughby

Of course it was inevitable that rumours about Holly Willoughby landing the gig would also star.

Former Dancing On Ice host Holly – who has been keeping something of a low profile since her This Morning exit in 2023 – was named as the bookies’ favourite for the hosting gig almost immediately, after which Daily Mail reporter Richard Eden wrote in his column that he’d heard from former BBC One controller Peter Fincham that a reliable source had told him that the job was Holly’s for the taking.

He alleged: “My hairdresser also cuts the hair of a well-known channel controller. What’s said in Harry’s the hairdresser stays in Harry’s. But he says with great confidence that Holly Willoughby will take over.”

Tabloid reports stretching as far back as 2023 even suggested that the BBC had been hoping to “lure” Holly over to them from ITV via a rumoured offer to present Strictly, two years before Tess and Claudia even announced they were departing.

More recently, Holly was included on the “golden ten” list published in The Sun.

Rylan Clark

Like Zoe Ball, Rylan Clark previously fronted the spin-off show It Takes Two for four seasons between 2019 and 2022. He is a regular fixture on the BBC thanks to his Radio 2 show, his coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest and his travel series Rob And Rylan’s Grand Tour, which he co-presents with Rob Rinder.

For the second half of 2025, Rylan has been keeping something of a low profile, ever since landing at the centre of controversy about comments he made about immigration while guest presenting This Morning over the summer, resulting in Ofcom complaints.

Rob Rinder

The Sun’s piece about the search for the new Strictly hosts mentioned that bosses were considering existing presenting teams, mentioning travelogue stars Rylan and Rob Rinder.

Rob – who first rose to fame as the host of Judge Rinder and now regularly co-presents ITV’s Good Morning Britain – was also reported to be taking “chemistry tests” with a variety of different potential co-hosts with the prospect of forming a new duo to front Strictly Come Dancing.

Alison Hammond

Daytime star Alison Hammond was reported by The Sun to be one of the stars undergoing “chemistry tests” to try and land the co-presenting gig on Strictly Come Dancing.

Following this, she made an appearance on Loose Women where the Great British Bake Off presenter made no secret of her hopes to end up with the Strictly hosting job.

When she was still more of a beloved cult figure than a full-blown national treasure, Alison competed on Strictly back in 2014, where she was partnered with Aljaz Skorjanec.

Angela Scanlon

Another former Strictly star rumoured to be on the BBC’s shortlist, Angela Scanlon competed on the show in 2023, where she was paired up with now-reigning champion Carlos Gu.

The Irish presenter is best known for her work on shows like Robot Wars, Your Home Made Perfect and The One Show, and will next be seen trying her luck on The Celebrity Apprentice.

Janette Manrara

What we’ve found interesting is how many former It Takes Two hosts have been reported to be in the running for the gig hosting the main show, but we wouldn’t rule out the possibility of the job going to its current presenter.

Janette Manrara has been part of the Strictly family since 2013, first as a professional dancer, and later as Rylan’s new co-presenter on It Takes Two. The Miami-born star also regularly hosts Strictly’s annual tour, while her husband Aljaz is still part of the resident professional troupe.

Fleur East

Fleur East has fronted It Takes Two since 2023, a year after she competed on the main show, making it to the final alongside her professional partner Vito Coppola.

Bookies have previously named both Janette and Fleur as potential candidates for the vacant spots on the main show, so there is still chat of either, or both, of them landing the roles.

Since competing on The X Factor in 2014, Fleur has carved a new career for herself as a presenter, fronting Hits Radio’s breakfast show, as well as a recurring segment on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.

Oti Mabuse

Oti Mabuse is undoubtedly one of the most popular Strictly pros in the show’s history, and since parting ways with the show, has become a regular fixture on screen, judging Dancing On Ice, fronting the dating show Romeo & Duet, briefly landing her own ITV daytime series and regular popping up on the Loose Women panel.

The same day Tess and Claudia’s departures were announced, Strictly staple Craig Revel Horwood (now the show’s longest-serving fixture) named Oti as his top pick to inherit the presenting job, alongside Alan Carr.

La Voix

We are going to continue manifesting this as long as we possibly can, alright? Give. Her. The. Job.