BREAKING NEWS: Strictly Come Dancing boss quits months before BBC show’s big makeover
A Strictly Come Dancing boss has quit the BBC show months before its rebirth (Image: PA)
A Strictly Come Dancing boss has quit the BBC show months before its major makeover this autumn. On Wednesday (July 8), former executive producer Eve Winstanley announced that she is leaving the reality show for pastures new. Taking to LinkedIn, she shared a lengthy career update where she opened up about her life as a Strictly boss.
She penned: “I started on Strictly: It Takes Two as a young 20-something Assistant Producer, who at the time had not long finished working on the first series of Dancing on Ice. I simply had no idea that the world of glitter and sequins would become such a massive part of my life.
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Former Strictly executive Eve Winstanley has left the BBC show (Image: X/Twitter)
“Across 16 series, I had 5 different job roles, culminating in 10 fab-u-lous years as Exec. I couldn’t be prouder of being part of this iconic brand, but earlier this year I knew it was time to hang up my dancing shoes (in my head I’m a pro dancer) and hand over to a new team to freshen things up.
“I’ve made some of the best friends across my time on the show and also nurtured young talent into becoming leaders in their own right. It’s been a show that has given in so many ways. I’m so excited for what the future holds and have fun new projects in the pipeline, so watch this space… Keep Dancing!”
The TV boss also revealed her brand-new job title at Netflix as a producer of Love Is Blind UK. It comes after BBC bosses confirmed a series of drastic changes to the BBC spin-off show, It Takes Two, as part of the show’s rebranding. Last month, Janette Manrara informed her loyal YouTube fans that she will no longer host the weeknight show.
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She explained: “Strictly Come Dancing has changed hugely, and I am no longer a part of It Takes Two or the main show.” Despite her exit, she reassured viewers that she will “still be involved in other ways” but failed to specify what this would entail. The mum-of-one went on: “It just means that I’m free to pursue and do many other projects that I’ve always wanted to do and never really thought about doing.
“Strictly is all I’ve known for the last 14 years, so it is a bit like, ‘Oh, we’re going into a different world, a different space, how are we going to navigate that?'” It is unknown whether Fleur East will also be leaving the show this autumn.
Earlier this year, The Sun claimed that Manrara and East had been dropped as hosts because TV bosses “want a completely new look and fresh start for the show”, adding that the pair could be “repurposed elsewhere”. Manrara started on the main show back in 2013, before replacing Zoe Ball on It Takes Two alongside Rylan in 2021.
When Rylan left the show two years later, East joined the presenting lineup after competing on the show the previous year. This is just the latest in a series of big changes on the autumn dance competition, with new hosts Emma Willis, Josh Widdecombe and pro-dancer Johannes Radebe replacing TV veterans Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
