Strictly Come Dancing’s Tess Daly is reportedly fearing the exit of her co-presenter Claudia Winkleman following the surge in popularity for her show, The Traitors.
Tess, 54, has presented the BBC dance show since its 2004 inception. She fronted the programme alongside the late Bruce Forsyth until his retirement in 2013, with Claudia filling his shoes from 2014.
Claudia, meanwhile, has enjoyed enormous success with The Traitors, which first aired in November 2022. Last week the Beeb confirmed series two’s finale had a peak of 6.9 million viewers – more than double that of series one. The series as a whole boasted an average of 5.5 million tuning in per installment – an impressive 33.%% of the audience share.
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Now, it is claimed Tess is daunted by the prospect of having to fly solo should 52-year old Claudia opt to pursue new opportunities on the back of her success.
(Image: BBC/Ray Burmiston)
A source explained to new! magazine: “Tess is comfortable when she has someone to bounce off. She had that with Bruce Forsyth and then with Claudia, but if Claudia leaves, she’s going to be on her own.”
They added that the relationship between Tess and Claudia is a big part of the show’s pull, and therefore losing that partnership could have a significant impact amongst fans. “Tess and Claudia’s chemistry is a big part of the show’s appeal.
(Image: Getty Images)
“She and Claudia have got their in-jokes and work well as a double act on Strictly, so people will be wondering whether you can have one without the other.” A second source told the Mirror: “She’s [Claudia] done The Traitors, The Piano on Channel 4, and she’s shown she can hold the fort by herself. On Strictly she has a great rapport, not just with the dancers but with the audience.”
It comes after Claudia stepped down from her BBC Radio 2 morning show duties citing a desire to spend more time with her young family. Announcing her departure last December, she explained: “I still have a little one who wants to be with me, don’t know how long that will last. I just need to be at home more.” Claudia shares three children with her husband, Kris Thykier – Arthur, 11, Matilda, 17, and Jake, 20.
(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
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The Mirror’s source added: “The BBC will do everything they can to keep her as the host of The Traitors. But they’re aware that Claudia will not take on too much… she just couldn’t handle all the shows and how much it takes her away from her husband and kids.
“Something would have to give it would more or less be a toss-up between that and Strictly.” Claudia’s agent has told new! that she “isn’t going anywhere”, meanwhile.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
