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Strictly Come Dancing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have announced they will be leaving the show.
The pair made the announcement in a joint video shared on social media, saying they would enjoy the rest of the “amazing” current series before passing on “the very sparkly baton” to new hosts.
“After 21 unforgettable years, the time has come to say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing,” Daly wrote in a separate post on Instagram.
“Strictly has always been about joy, celebration and bringing people together – and I’m so proud to have played a small part in something that continues to mean so much to so many.”
Winkleman also shared her own statement, saying: “I’ve always believed it’s best to leave a party before you’re fully ready to go, and I know the new hosts will be magnificent.
“I look forward to watching them take Strictly to new heights.”
Daly, 56, has presented the series since it first launched in 2004, starting alongside the late Sir Bruce Forsyth. Winkleman, 53, initially fronted its weekday companion show, It Takes Two, before moving on to host the Sunday night results show and then joining the main programme after Sir Bruce stepped down in 2014.
Winkleman and Daly pair picked up the entertainment programme prize at the BAFTA TV Awards last year, and were made Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours, for their services to broadcasting.
The presenters with Sir Bruce Forsyth at the Strictly Come Dancing launch in 2014. Pic: Dominic Lipinski/PA Archive
In their statements, the presenters praised the “most brilliant” team behind Strictly, as well as the millions of viewers who have watched the show over the years.
“We will cry when we say the last ‘keep dancing’,” they said, referencing their famous sign-off, “but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.”
They also paid tribute to each other, with Daly telling her “beloved Claud” that it had been “an absolute joy and pleasure… sharing this adventure with you”.
“I’m so so lucky I got to stand next to you,” Winkleman said of Daly. “You’re funny, kind, whip smart and a true friend and I love you.”
The 23rd series of Strictly began in September, with celebrities including football star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, presenter and TV personality Vicky Pattison, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star La Voix, and model and actress Ellie Goldstein taking part.
With former dancer and judge Anton Du Beke, picking up the talent show award for Strictly at the NTAs in September. Pic: Ian West/ PA
Strictly is one of the BBC’s highest-rated shows, but has been hit by controversy over the last few years.
Ahead of the launch of last year’s series, the broadcaster said it would introduce new welfare measures, including the addition of production staff chaperones in rehearsals, following complaints about two of its former professional dancers.
In September, BBC director general Tim Davie was questioned by MPs on subjects including the corporation’s Gaza documentary, its Glastonbury coverage, the recent Gregg Wallace investigation, and this year’s Strictly line-up.
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