Strictly Come Dancing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are set to leave the show.

The search is underway for replacements for Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly (Image: BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing fans were left gobsmacked earlier this week when it was announced that hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be saying their goodbyes to the BBC show at the conclusion of the current series. Daly has been a mainstay of the show since its launch in 2004, with Winkleman joining her full-time on the presenting team in 2014. However, for the first time in over two decades, the show is set to usher in new faces at the helm, with a plethora of big names already being suggested as potential successors for the much-loved duo.

Front runners for the vacant spots include former Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two hosts Zoe Ball and Rylan Clark, as well as popular presenters Bradley Walsh, Holly Willoughby, Alison Hammond and Roman Kemp. Nonetheless, a former sportsperson is also thought to be in contention for one of the roles, with ex-Lionesses star Alex Scott being given 4/1 odds of replacing either Daly or Winkleman by bookies.

The 41-year-old – who earned an impressive 140 caps for England during her playing career – graced the Strictly dance floor herself in 2019, becoming the first female footballer to participate in the show. Paired with professional dancer Neil Jones, she made it to the quarter-finals but ultimately finished fifth, with Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher taking the glitterball trophy.

Scott, who made 150 appearances for Arsenal and also played for Birmingham City and the Boston Breakers, as well as representing Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics, has built a successful broadcasting career since retiring from playing in 2018. Her profile has been on the rise year after year.

She became the BBC’s first female World Cup pundit in 2018 and has since presented popular programmes such as Football Focus, Match of the Day and The One Show, as well as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

However, her position on Football Focus has led to a clash with another former BBC favourite, Dan Walker, with whom she reportedly had a ‘heated’ dispute in 2023.

After reports that Football Focus had seen a significant drop in audience numbers during Scott’s tenure as host, Walker, who presented the show from 2009 until 2021, posted on social media: “It’s hard to see Football Focus struggling. I loved it growing up and it was an honour to present it and I still miss it. We poured everything into that show each week and worked hard to keep it relevant. I hope it stays part of the TV landscape.”

Scott has been tipped to become one of the new Strictly hosts (Image: Getty Images)

Scott responded to the message with a GIF that read ‘interesting’, which prompted Walker to reply: “I’m not saying you haven’t Alex. It’s a saturated market and it’s hard work every week. I hope you have a good show today.”

Scott hit back by posting a photograph of the Television Show of the Year trophy from the previous year’s Sports Journalism Awards.

She wrote: “We have big interviews with Ange Postecoglou and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard coming up on the ‘Award’ winning Football Focus tomorrow. Make that a headline.”

The duo are said to have continued their war of words at a charity function weeks afterwards, reportedly engaging in a “heated” exchange at the Legends of Football dinner in 2023.

Nevertheless, they apparently settled their differences amicably, even sharing an embrace.

Speculation surrounding Scott’s Strictly involvement emerges as she has apparently committed to another major programme, with the former defender understood to be in discussions about appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

She could mirror the path of her former England colleague and past Queen of the Jungle, Jill Scott, by joining this year’s contestants, who are thought to feature model and actress Kelly Brook alongside rapper Aitch.