Strictly Come Dancing 2026 hosts replacing Tess and Claudia tipped to be Big Brother and BBC icons

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Sources say Emma Willis and Zoe Ball are likely to be announced as the new hosts of Strictly Come Dancing in the near future.

Ever since last October, people have been guessing who would take over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Now, it looks like the BBC has finally chosen their new hosts.

According to a source, Emma has been offered the role on Strictly Come Dancing and is expected to accept. She impressed during screen tests, and the BBC are very keen to have her on the show.

Emma is a well-known and reliable presenter, so the BBC are confident she’ll do a great job. She’s also very popular with viewers and is perfectly suited for this role.

A BBC representative said that details about the 2026 season of Strictly Come Dancing will be announced later.

I was so curious about who would host Strictly this year, and when Emma Willis was asked about it, she was playfully evasive! She and Rylan Clark were chatting on This Morning, and when pressed about the rumors, she just said, “Ahh… no!” It definitely left me wondering, but she’s so good at keeping secrets, isn’t she?

The report indicates that Ball, who previously hosted It Takes Two, will likely team up with Willis as a new hosting pair.

Sources say Willis will now be the one speaking to the judges on the dance floor, while Ball will take Tess Daly’s place backstage with the celebrities and professional dancers.

Ball hasn’t revealed whether she’d consider returning to Strictly Come Dancing, but she told The Sunday Times she does have some desire to do so, saying, “Obviously, there’s a part of me that would love to do it.”

On the Dig It show with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball, Zoe hinted at a big upcoming project but stayed tight-lipped about the details, refusing to say what it was. Jo noticed Zoe had recently dyed her hair, and Zoe playfully suggested it was because she needed to look her best for something special.

We’re getting more details about the next season of Strictly Come Dancing, and the BBC has just announced which professional dancers will be back for the show later this year.

Dianne Buswell, Amy Dowden, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, and Nikita Kuzmin are all returning to dance in the next season of the show.

Aljaž Škorjanec, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Nancy Xu, and Kai Widdrington are also returning this time.

Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Vito Coppola, Alexis Warr, and Julian Caillon will also be participating. Julian and Alexis recently became professional dancers for the 2025 season.

Strictly Come Dancing 2026 begins on BBC One and iPlayer later this year.

I’ve added Strictly Come Dancing to my watchlist on the TopMob app – it’s great for getting daily TV recommendations and finding new shows! You can download the app now if you want to check it out too.

Authors

Katelyn MensahSenior Entertainment Writer

Katelyn Mensah writes about entertainment for TopMob, covering everything from popular TV shows and reality competitions to important documentaries. Before joining TopMob, she worked at The Tab, where she reported on reality TV and celebrity news. Katelyn has a degree in Journalism.

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2026-05-11 13:07