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Strictly Come Dancing bosses are reportedly considering hiring three new presenters to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman for the 2026 BBC series.
It is believed that there are now seven people in the running to replace the famous duo and Alex Jones is said to be the frontrunner, according to The Sun.
Zoe Ball, Rylan Clark, Alison Hammond, Angela Scanlon, Emma Willis and Fleur East are also said to be in the mix.
A source told the publication: ‘Alex is still very much the BBC’s favourite to land a hosting spot. The Beeb loves her and thinks she’d be perfect to take on Tess’s role on the floor.
‘Talk recently has turned to whether they could bring in a third host to really freshen it up.’
Screen auditions and ‘chemistry’ tests for candidates are said to take place in April, after they were originally pushed back from January.
Strictly Come Dancing bosses are reportedly considering hiring three new presenters to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman for the 2026 BBC series
The Daily Mail have contacted the BBC for comment.
Tess and Claudia stepped back from the show after the most recent series came to an end last December – with speculation continuing to grow about who will be lined up to replace them.
It was recently reported that Emma Willis and Zoe Ball are also strongly being considered for one of the hosting spots by bosses.
Emma, 49, recently took over from Zoe, 55, on BBC Radio 2 after she stepped down from the afternoon slot after just seven months.
Zoe has said she would ‘love’ to take on the hosting job, who previously hosted Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two until 2021.
A source said: ‘It’s a straight shoot-out between Zoe, who is the front-runner, and Emma. Only one will get it, not both.’
They added to The Sun on Sunday: ‘The senior execs want a traditional presenter working alongside a more left-field person, a female stand-up comedian.
‘It’s felt the humour Claudia brought to the show, particularly in her “Claudatorium”, needs to carry on.’
Emma is best known for her TV work, hosting The Voice and Love Is Blind UK alongside husband and Busted star Matt Willis, 42.
Earlier this year, Zoe confessed she would love to take on the most sought-after job in British TV – presenting Strictly Come Dancing.
The speculation intensified when the presenter announced she was stepping down from her Saturday Radio 2 slot, leaving her weekends open for the top telly job.
It is believed that there are now seven people in the running to replace the famous duo (pictured) and Alex Jones is said to be the frontrunner, according to the Sun
But Zoe has broken her silence on the rumours, insisting that whilst she hasn’t been approached yet, she would ‘love’ to take it on.
‘Obviously there’s part of me that would love to do it,’ she said. ‘I love that show. I loved performing on it with Ian Waite, who is one of my best buddies. It’s so joyful.’
She cautioned, though, that it would be a mammoth task to step into her friends Claudia and Tess’ shoes, pointing out ‘it’s live telly, which is another thing that people don’t give the girls enough credit for.
‘That show is a beast. Whoever gets to do it has a tough act to follow.’
