Fleur East has admitted to being “bothered” by being turned down to host Strictly Come Dancing in the wake of Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly’s exits from the series.
East, who presents the Hits Radio Breakfast Show, has hosted the Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two since 2023 – having first competed on Strictly itself in 2022 – and had been among the many names rumoured to potentially take over from Winkleman and Daly on the main series. The women announced their mutual departure in 2025.
But East has confirmed she missed out on the job – which is speculated to have been taken by Emma Willis and a second, unknown presenter – during an emotional aside on her radio show this morning (13 May).
“All right, I’m going to say it,” she began. “I did say initially, after Tess and Claudia announced they were leaving Strictly, ‘you know, it’s probably not going to happen [for me] and I’m happy for whoever gets it’.”
She said Willis would be “great and amazing” for the show, but added: “I’ve kind of lied to myself that I’d be all right with not doing it or not being considered for the job, but I’m kind of bothered…”
She continued: “I think it’s okay to admit that. I think it’s okay to admit that being faced with the opportunity of such an incredible job… it’s an amazing show. I’ve not only had the privilege and pleasure of being on it, but then also hosting It Takes Two and being part of the family. It’s been an incredible job to be a part of. So, when you’re within touching distance of something like that, and even considering it for a minute, I never allowed myself to really go fully there, but I did think about it. I was like, that would be amazing.”
“I guess I have been lying to myself when I’ve been saying, ‘I’m fine.’ I’m coming to terms with it but I feel I was okay before it was kind of confirmed that someone’s got the job. Because until it was confirmed, I was like, well, they might call me one day. They might do all the tests and they go, actually, yeah, we haven’t seen Fleur. Let’s give her a little call. But it’s gone to the right person.”
On Monday it was reported that Willis, whose career has included stints hosting Big Brother and The Voice, had been offered the presenting gig. It was also confirmed that Zoe Ball, a firm favourite for the role, had missed out on it. Other names, including Rylan Clark and Angela Scanlon, are also reportedly out of the running.
Today (13 May), it has also been reported that former Strictly professional dancer Johannes Radebe will be presenting the show alongside Willis, but this has yet to be officially confirmed.
Meanwhile, East’s role on It Takes Two is in question after reports surfaced that the BBC were “refreshing” the spin-off show in tandem with the changes to the main Strictly show.
According to reports, the series will become a vodcast, meaning hosts will film episodes for viewers and also record them for podcast listeners. It’s also been claimed that East and her co-host Janette Manrara will no longer present the show, but the BBC told The Independent last month: “It is factually incorrect to claim that either has been axed.”
It is speculated that the final line-up of Strictly presenters will be unveiled this weekend, in tandem with the BBC’s coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest.
© Independent Digital News & Media Ltd