BAFTA Television Awards in London

Tess Daly has quit Strictly Come Dancing after 21 years (Image: Getty)

Following the surprising news that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are set to leave their roles on Strictly at the end of the series, Tess seemed to “foreshadowed” her exit weeks ago. The 56-year-old is departing her hosting duties after 21 years, and she gave a joint statement on social media yesterday alongside Claudia. Tess first joined the Strictly team in 2004 when the BBC dance competition first launched. There is no confirmation of who will replace the pair, but rumours have already been fever-pitched that it could be a former contestant. Meanwhile, it has now been reported that Tess hinted at her departure weeks ago on a podcast episode.

Speaking on Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast, Tess reflected on the effect of balancing being a parent with her weekend commitments on Strictly Come Dancing.

 

Tess Daly on Strictly

Tess will be stepping down from her role at the end of the series (Image: BBC)

“I’m not someone who goes for a day to the spa. I’m thinking, ‘What do my kids need me to do today’? Do you know what I mean?” she said.

“I’m always making up for that. If I’ve worked for a day or two, then I’m like, now this time I need to do more for them because I was absent here. I’m always trying to make up for that.”

Tess shares two daughters with husband Vernon Kay: Phoebe and Amber. She continued: “So if I, you know, remove them from that picture.

“Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, it could be quite lovely. Could be really great. I could be on weekend breaks with my girlfriends to Ibiza. How about that? I might be back dancing on podiums.”

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Claudia also joined the Strictly family in 2004, when she began leading its spin-off show It Takes Two. She later moved over to presenting the main show 10 years ago.

Tess and Claudia then made history when they became the first female presenting duo in primetime television, after the departure of the late Sir Bruce Forsyth, who previously presented with Tess.

The pair announced the news in a video statement on Tess Daly’s Instagram feed. They said: “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.”