Claudia Winkleman has set the record straight on her Strictly Come Dancing experience, as she and Tess Daly are set to leave Strictly Come Dancing at the end of the 2025 series
Television host and national treasure Claudia Winkleman told fans to “be prepared” before revealing her true thoughts on Strictly Come Dancing.
Claudia, 53, recently announced alongside co-host Tess Daly that the pair would be leaving the popular BBC programme after over 20 years of holding various presenting roles on the series.
Claudia, who also hosts The Traitors and Celebrity Traitors, opened up about the origins of her working on the programme in her book Quite, explaining that it was the ultimate case of someone being in the right place at the right time.
She said: “Strictly has been (I don’t want your stomach to turn, so please be prepared) a gift to me. A barnstorming, stonking, thunderbolt of a present.
“I started working on It Takes Two in 2004. There had been one series already, my son was tiny and they said, ‘Look, can you talk about the foxtrot every night live at 6.30pm?’”
She added: “I could be with him all morning and then go to work. I know. It was a six week run and I was ridiculously lucky.
“I then went on to present the results show and when Sir Bruce resigned I got Tess’s job. Sometimes good fortune just falls in your lap. How did I, a short, scruffy, orange idiot get to be part of one of the nation’s favourite TV shows?
“All I can say is there has been no better example of right place, right time on earth.”
In a statement on Instagram announcing of her exit from the show, Claudia said: “It’s very difficult to put into words exactly what Strictly has meant to me. It’s been the greatest relationship of my career.
“From working on It Takes Two in 2004 until now it has been my everything, the show I will be eternally grateful for.
“I will never forget Len Goodman trying to teach me what a cucaracha is (I still don’t know) and the complete thrill and honour it was to work with Tess on the results show to co-hosting on Saturday nights.
“Strictly is a magical, glittery, fake tanned train and it’s been a privilege to be a tiny part of it. The extraordinary talent of the dancers, the band, the hair and makeup and costume teams, the unbelievable production crew and creatives – all utterly amazing.
“I’ve always believed it’s best to leave a party before you’re fully ready to go and I know the new hosts will be magnificent.”