TESS DALY SPEAKS OUT ON STRICTLY EXIT WEEKS AFTER UNEXPECTED ANNOUNCEMENT IN 'REPLACEMENT' UPDATE

Tess Daly has spoken about her decision to leave Strictly Come Dancing after stars of the show and fans were left stunned by her announcement with Claudia Winkleman.

The broadcaster has been at the helm of the hit BBC One dance show since it began back in 2004, first hosting alongside the legendary Sir Bruce Forsyth.

It was then in 2014 that she began co-hosting the beloved programme alongside Claudia Winkleman after her late colleague and friend decided to step down from presenting duties, a couple of years before his death in 2017.

But last month, Tess confirmed that her time fronting Strictly was coming to an end, as she and Claudia have decided to bow out of the show at the end of the current series.

Now, Tess had addressed her exit for the first time as she headed to Windsor Castle on Wednesday (November 12) where she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

The 56-year-old, who was made an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting, received the honour from King Charles during the ceremony, with her husband Vernon Kay and their children, daughters Phoebe and Amber produly watching on.

Following the ceremony, speaking about her forthcoming departure from Strictly, Tess said: "I love the show, it’s wonderful and it’s just fantastic to have worked on it for as many years as I have.

"It’s been such a great opportunity to work with incredibly talented people. Obviously for me, there’s no show like it. I will miss it but I’m quite looking forward to a lie-in on Saturday morning – and new ventures in the new year."

Asked who will replace her, she said: "I have no idea, it’s not up to me. I’ll be watching at home with Claudia – we’ll be watching the launcher together!"

Tess, 56, and Claudia, 53, announced their surprise exit news on social media in a joint statement, alongside a video in which they discussed their decision.

They said: "We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream,” they said. "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."

2025-11-12T15:58:33Z