A professional dancer from “Strictly Come Dancing” recently shared that she and her fellow dancers were taken aback by the news of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s departure from the show. Tess, who has been a presenter on the BBC program since its inception in 2004, will be stepping down alongside Claudia at the end of the current series.
Claudia joined the show in 2010 and took over as the main presenter after Sir Bruce Forsyth’s departure in 2014. Nadiya Bychkova, a professional dancer on the show, expressed that the entire team was surprised by the sudden announcement, emphasizing the impact of losing such an iconic duo.
In a statement, Tess, 56, and Claudia, 53, confirmed their joint decision to leave “Strictly Come Dancing” together. They expressed gratitude to the BBC and the show’s team while acknowledging that they would miss the experience dearly.
Numerous messages of support flooded in for Tess and Claudia, including from past contestants and judge Motsi Mabuse. Claudia revealed that she and Tess had planned their exit strategy while at the peak of their careers, debunking the idea that viewers would want her to stay indefinitely.
Since her time on “Strictly,” Claudia’s hosting career has flourished, leading to her receiving a BAFTA award in 2023 for her work on “The Traitors.” Viewers were encouraged to tune in to their final show together on BBC One.
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