Stop the press! Strictly Come Dancing has reportedly found one of its new presenters, in the shape of Emma Willis. But who will her co-host be?
After 10 years at the helm of the BBC show, Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly stepped down from their roles in October, releasing a lengthy video statement to share they were ready to "pass the baton" to someone else.
Since then, the rumour mill has been in overdrive over who will take over one of the biggest jobs in TV. And while the BBC haven't confirmed the news yet, it's widely thought that Emma Willis, who has hosted everything from Love Is Blind UK to Celebrity Big Brother and The Voice UK, will be one of the presenters.
"Emma has been offered the Strictly job and is going to accept," a source at The Sun reported. "She absolutely nailed the chemistry tests and the BBC adore her. Emma is a household name and a safe pair of hands so the BBC know she will do the job justice.
“She’s incredibly popular with the public too and will suit the role down to a tee. She was absolutely thrilled to have been offered the job. Strictly is one of the biggest shows on television and to be trusted with the new era is something Emma feels incredibly proud and humbled by." But who will be joining her?
Emma Willis's Strictly Come Dancing co-host rumours
Rylan Clark
The rumours are slightly mixed about whether Rylan could be Emma's co-host - while many reports claim he's a shoe-in because they are best friends in real life, and genuine chemistry, others say the competition wanted to go in a different direction.
"Everyone knows that hosting Strictly would be a dream job for Rylan," a source told The Sun. "He, of course, went for the audition because it’s a once in a lifetime job, but soon after a chemistry test he ruled himself out and started telling friends he’s doing Panto instead. It’s surprising because Emma Willis is one of his closest friends. “Rylan wasn’t the direction that Strictly wanted to go in."
Angela Scanlon
Angela Scanlon, who competed on the show in 2023 and came sixth, is a BBC radio DJ and former host of The One Show, who is thought to be hosting alongside Emma. Earlier this month, she added fuel to the rumours when she told The Express: "It's incredible to be mentioned alongside peers and names and people that I've looked up to for very many years (on the list of potential hosts). I love Strictly.
"When I did it in 2023 I had an absolute ball. I'll be watching the Argentine Tango on my deathbed. As I've said from the beginning, I would, take the call."
Alison Hammond
Fan-favourite Alison Hammond is another name that's been thrown in the mix, and boy oh boy would we love to see her on our screens even more. After competing on the show in season 12, Alison went on to host Great British Bake Off and also This Morning, and recently told Metro, "Do you think I would turn down Strictly if Strictly came along? Who would turn down Strictly? They'd be absolutely crazy.
“I was trying to back them off because ultimately everyone keeps putting my name in the mix and they're ruining my chances of even getting on to Strictly, do you know what I mean?
“You all need to stop talking about it because I need to get in. I can do Strictly. I can do it all. All these people saying: ‘I'm too busy, and I can't do it.’ I could do Strictly. Let's put that on the record.”
Alex Jones
After competing on the show in 2011, Alex Walsh (who currently presents The One Show) was rumoured to be auditioning to host Strictly alongside Bradley Walsh. But now that Emma Willis is all but confirmed, could this be our female duo instead?
A source previously said: “Alex and Bradley are both the favourites to take over from Tess and Claudia. They have been in the BBC’s sights for some time as Tess and Claudia’s exit plan has been known for a while.
“Bradley and Alex are both seen as accomplished broadcasters. He brings the wisecracks and Alex is the calm head who knows how to handle live situations after 15 years of co-hosting The One Show."
Holly Willoughby
As daytime TV fans will know, after 14 years on This Morning, Holly made the decision to leave the show in 2023. Which, inevitably, has left fans wondering what her next gig will be. When asked at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park last December whether her hat was in the ring for the show, Holly replied: “At the moment, I'm just having a lovely time at home watching Strictly.”
That's not a no!
Not Zoe Ball
Broadcaster and presenter Zoe Ball recently shared the news that she had not landed the Strictly job, admitting she felt "grief and rejection" over the situation.
"I didn't get it, but it's OK, " she told her co-host Jo Whiley on the new episode of her Dig It podcast. "I have worked through the seven stages of grief and rejection over the last couple of days... But I tell you what, if it's who I think has got it, we're in safe hands and our new hosts are going to be fabulous. I'm so thrilled for them, and hopefully at a later date, we'll be able to talk about them in more detail."
Amanda Holden and Alan Carr have also ruled themselves out of the running, after their names were thrown in the mix.
Well, guess we'll have to wait and find out!
