Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman made the shock announcement that they were leaving Strictly Come Dancing at the end of this series.
The hosting duo decided to leave the show together, having fronted the show for 21 years. Strictly fans and dancers were left heartbroken by the statement. The women stated they felt it was “the right time” to walk away.
But there have already been calls for them to return to the ballroom. But not as hosts… And exclusive odds from SportsCasting show us just how likely that is.
Calls for Tess and Claudia to compete on Strictly
Tess and Claudia shared a joint video on Instagram yesterday, and also gave their own personal statements.
The announcement may have only happened 24 hours ago, but there is already quite a lot of speculation on their replacements. And there have been a lot of calls to get them on the show as contestants.
Pro-dancer Dianne Buswell shared her hopes for them to be able to compete in an Instagram post dedicated to both of them.
She penned: “Tess and Claude, 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. Just a question, does this mean you can now compete on the show? If so, I bags the all-girl partnership!”
Joanne Clifton also shared her hopes for them to be contestants. She penned: “I still can’t believe it. These two legends. Such a privilege to have been on the show with them. Now PLEASE come back as celebs and DANCE! Let’s make this happen!”
Fans are also hopeful that it might be happening next year. Taking to X, one penned: “Telling myself Tess and Claudia leaving is all a big hoax because they’re going to be contestants next year. Then they will just continue to present from the year after.”
Another added: “So, what I’m hearing is Tess and Claudia will be available as contestants next year…”
What are the chances of either of the stars to come back?
But could it actually happen? According to exclusive odds from SportsCasting, it seems likely that one of them will return in their dancing shoes.
Currently the most likely is Tess (2/1), while Claudia is more of a “wildcard” (8/1).
Spokesperson Shane Orton told ED!: “With both Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepping down from their iconic Strictly hosting roles, there’s growing speculation about what’s next for the duo. A possible return to the dance floor in the future isn’t being ruled out. And it’s a move that would certainly surprise fans.
“Tess already has some form, scoring an impressive 36 for her American Smooth with Anton Du Beke on the 2008 Children in Need special. Claudia remains more of a wildcard.”
Shane continued: “At 2/1 for Tess and 8/1 for Claudia to appear as contestants, our traders at SportsCasting think a Strictly comeback could make for one of the show’s most-talked-about twists yet.”
