Strictly Come Dancing - Tess and Claudia

Speculation has been rife over who will take over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on Strictly Come Dancing (Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing viewers have admitted that one of the contenders to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman could make them stop watching the show altogether. Tess, 56, and Claudia, 53, shocked fans when they announced they will be stepping down from Strictly at the end of the current series. Speculation is already rife over who will take over from the iconic duo, who have been co-hosting the BBC programme together since 2014.

Rylan Clark is among the favourites to replace the duo, with other frontrunners including Zoe Ball, Holly Willoughby, Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton. But it appears not everyone is keen on the This Morning presenter, 37, joining the cast of Strictly as several fans took to social media to share their complaints.

 

One declared: “Watching Strictly and the two girls, Tess and Claud are leaving the show at the end of the season. I’m telling you now, if they have Rylan as a presenter, I will never watch it again.”

Another agreed: “Sorry @bbcstrictly but if @Rylan comes anywhere near Strictly Come Dancing Saturday or Sunday shows… I’m off! No thanks.”

A third echoed: “But not Rylan. He’s one of those blokes you see on TV, and you think “he’s OK,” but I wouldn’t want to watch him every Saturday night for three months.”

An additional fan echoed: “If Rylan Clark or Alison Hammond Roman Kemp?? Take over strictly, i’ll never watch it again!! Surely Emma Willis & Janette Manrara are much better choices.”

The King's Trust And TKMaxx & Homesense Awards 2025 - Arrivals

Rylan Clark is among the favourites to replace Tess and Claudia (Image: Getty)

Despite some of the harsh opinions, others admitted they would welcome the X Factor star with open arms, believing he is perfect for the role.

“I think that Robert Rinder and Rylan Clark, would be a brilliant choice as hosts. To take over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. On #Strictly Come Dancing, that’s just my view but I think that they would be a brilliant choice,” one said.

Another posted: “Rylan was fab on It Takes Two. I would love him as presenter.”

A third added: “Zoe Ball and Rylan would be my favourite choices to take over from Tess and Claudia on Strictly Come Dancing.”

Also supporting Rylan as a candidate, someone else shared: “Gutted about Tess and Claudia but I guess it was going to happen one day. If I had to choose to replace, it would be La Voix and Rylan as the new hosts.”

Betfair Slots were the first to release their odds, naming The Chase host Bradley Walsh. He was ahead of Rylan in second place, with Alison Hammond in third. However, Casino Bets has a different frontrunner, with Holly Willoughby as the 2/1 favourite.

Tess and Claudia confirmed their exit in a joint statement, telling fans: “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.”

They added: “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.”