Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has paid emotional tribute to hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman after the pair announced they were stepping down.
Earlier today the presenters – who have fronted the BBC dancing series for the past decade together – made the shock announcement that the current season of the show would be their last.
Posting a video on social media, they explained: ‘There have been some rumblings, and we want you to hear this from us.
‘We have news. After 21 wonderfully joyful years on Strictly, we have decided that the time is right to step aside and pass over the baton.’
Tess has been presenting Strictly since it premiered in 2004, with Claudia then joining her as co-host in 2011, after previously fronting spin-off series It Takes Two.
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Soon after their impending exit was revealed, many of their Strictly colleagues acknowledged their work on the show over the years.
Sharing a lengthy statement alongside a photo with the hosts backstage, Shirley began by writing: ‘I don’t even know where to begin…When I joined Strictly back in 2017, it was Tess and Claudia who took me under their wings. From day one they were my guiding lights, helping me find my feet, showing me the ropes of television and doing so with kindness, patience, generosity and always with a smile.
‘I have truly never met two more remarkable ladies. Their dedication, grace, humour and sheer hard work has helped make Strictly the magical show that it is. Their energy lifts the ballroom, and their friendship is truly beautiful.
‘Hearing they’re leaving the ballroom has broken my heart. My dressing room sits right next to theirs and I’ll miss popping in for our little chats. Sometimes I walk in accidentally thinking their rooms are mine. Those moments have brought me such laughter and warmth over the years.’
She continued: ‘They are the duo that hold everything together and I’ll miss them more than words can say. Thank you, my beautiful Tess and Claudia, for everything you’ve given to me, to our show and to the millions who adore you. You’ve made my time on the show so very special, and you both will always be superstar women in my book. Love you both to the moon and back.’
Meanwhile, fellow judge Motsi Mabuse re-shared the pair’s announcement and said she was ‘speechless’. ‘End of an era,’ she declared.
During an appearance on Loose Women today, Craig Revel Horwood also admitted he’d been floored finding out they were leaving.
‘At 10 this morning, I found out like everyone else. On social media. My watch pinged and there it was. I was shocked, and surprised. I was saddened. I really loved them,’ he said.
‘Obviously, I’ve been working on the show with Tess since the beginning since May 2004 and it’s the end of an era, but I know that people need to move on. I wish them luck. I celebrate people moving on, we do it in the theatre all the time and I think it’s a good thing for people to move on.’
Many of the professional dancers who have worked with Tess and Claudia also shared posts praising their work.
‘Sir Bruce would have been so proud on how you carried on his legacy on Strictly! Thank you for all the beautiful memories!’ Aljaž Skorjanec declared.
Carlos Gu said his ‘heart was broken’, while Nancy Xu said: ‘We’re going to miss you two amazing people very much’.
Dianne Buswell wrote: ‘Tess and Claud genuinely the coolest big sisters ever! So lucky to have got to work with you both for all these years! You will be missed dearly.’
Soon after Tess and Claudia’s announcement, the BBC’s chief content officer Kate Phillips also echoed the sentiment that them leaving the show was ‘the end of an era’.
‘They’ve both been such incredible hosts at the very heart of the show, their passion and dedication has gone above and beyond,’ she said in a statement.
‘They’ve been integral to Strictly’s success over the last 20 years, but I understand why they’ve decided it’s time to hang up the glitter ball and get their weekends back.
‘As Craig would say, they are fab-u-lous presenters, and they are fab-u-lous friends to me and so many others at the BBC. Thank you Tess and Claud for everything, we will miss you hugely.’
Initially announcing the news, the pair explained: ‘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.’
Strictly Come Dancing returns Saturday at 6.20pm on BBC One.
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