Strictly Come Dancing: 'Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman to co-host'

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are to be unveiled as the new Strictly Come Dancing presenting team, according to reports.

Daly, who hosted the show alongside Sir Bruce Forsyth until his retirement last month, will become the main presenter.

Winkleman will conduct interviews with the contestants after impressing BBC bosses with her work on the Sunday night results show.

It would be the first all-female presenting duo on Saturday night television.

The BBC said an announcement of the new line-up is expected in the next week or two.

However, a Strictly source told the Sunday People: “It will work like the shows that Bruce missed last series. Tess will be the main presenter with Claudia doing the post-dance interviews.

“This very much fits with [BBC director of TV] Danny Cohen’s desire to be seen to promote female faces during prime time.

“Claudia is very well-liked in-house but it has taken a year or two for the audience to get used to her quirkier presenting style. Producers like the relationship between her and Tess. They gel nicely together.”

Sir Bruce announced a month ago that he was quitting as host of Strictly, a job he had held since 2004.

At the age of 86, the veteran entertainer said it was “the right time to step down from the rigours of presenting the Strictly live shows”.

Anton Du Beke, the Strictly dancer, has made no secret of the fact he would love to take over from Sir Bruce.

Other names in the frame have included Graham Norton, Vernon Kay, John Barrowman and Paul O’Grady.

However, Norton said he “wouldn’t jump at the chance” to host the show and gave his endorsement to the Daly/Winkleman pairing.

“If they just stick with Tess and Claudia, then I think that’s the sensible way forward. As a tried-and-tested duo, they’re great and work really well together,” he said.

A BBC spokesman said: “We are not commenting on speculation. The new presenting line-up will be announced in due course.”