EXCLUSIVE: Strictly’s Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s decision to exit the BBC show would not have been an easy one.
Strictly’s Claudia and Tess made the right decision to leave (Image: Getty)
Strictly Come Dancing hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly announced their decision to leave the BBC show on Thursday (October 23). The pair have been on the series for 21 years and after the surprising announcement, viewers have made it clear that they’re devastated to hear the news. But after a shocking number of scandals surrounding the show in recent year, PRs aren’t entirely surprised to hear the pair are leaving.
Pam Lyddon of Bright Star Digital PR spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk to share her insight on their exit: “From a PR perspective, I think they are leaving at just the right time. Claudia and Tess are the kind of people who fit family shows, they can’t be the kind of hosts who are associated with these scandals. I would have said to them, ‘this is the perfect time to go, with 21 years’.” She added: “It’s too hot now, there’s too much scandal.”
Tess and Claudia announced their exit in a joint statement (Image: BBC)
Pam explained that there are uncontrollable leaks that are present throughout the show, such as discovering who has been eliminated from the competition each week. She added: “The show has got so big, Claudia and Tess need to make that decision, do we want to be associated with all of this scandal, or do we want to move on?”
However, she did say that despite thinking that Claudia and Tess will be taking a step back to protect their image, there will be a lot of other celebrities who throw their hat in the ring.
She added that some people “won’t care” about the scandals, noting that celebrities she’s expecting to attempt to get the job will be Holly Willoughby, Paddy McGuinness and AJ Odudu, and even Pete Wicks.
Pam concluded: “It will be the hottest job in telly, but for Claudia and Tess, it’s the right time to end it.”
In a joint statement, Claudia and Tess confirmed their exit on Instagram, writing: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.
“We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show.
“They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day. We will cry when we say the last “keep dancing” but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.”
Tributes have flooded in as fans, co-stars and friends have shared their shock about the pair leaving the series, their final stint on the show will be the Christmas Special.
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