Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Alex Kingston says a lot of fans don’t “realise” one thing Tess Daly does on the show. Alex, 62, appeared on the last series of the hit BBC show with partner Johannes Radebe.
The pair were eliminated eighth as former England footballer Karen Carney went on to lift the Glitterball Trophy with professional dancer Carlos Gu. The series was Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s last, with the pair departing on Christmas Day.
In a video on Instagram, Tess described Strictly as “one of the greatest joys and privileges of my career”. Claudia said "it's best to leave a party before you're fully ready to go".
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Now Doctor Who star Alex has praised the role Tess plays when contestants have finished their dance. Speaking on the Experience Is Everything podcast, she said: “People don’t realise how hard of a job it is that Tess has been doing.
“When you dance, the minute the dance stops, my head was just empty. You’re sort of in a collective shock and Tess grabs your hand and holds and asks if you’re okay and tells you what a wonderful dance it is.
“She keeps holding your hand and she’s this incredible grounding bridge between you and the critiques of the judges. She looks at you in a way that just centres you and it’s something that not all people can do. And she’s genuine.”
Alex also praised Claudia for her work on Strictly, questioning what will happen to her “Clauditorium” feature now she has left the show. She continued: “The thing that’s interesting is that they’re two different jobs.
“Claudia, she created the Clauditorium, what are we going to call it after Claudia leaves? She’s brilliant at conversing and has that very dry wit, she can bring the humour out in people.”
Alex went on to explain that she believes two female presenters should take the job later this year. While she didn’t name the two she’s tipping for the role, she said their initials were “ZB” and “CD or KD”.
Former BBC Radio 2 star Zoe Ball is among the favourites to land the Strictly job, having spent nine series presenting companion show It Takes Two. Zoe presented her final Radio 2 show on December 20, with Emma Willis now taking over the role.
In December it was revealed that BBC bosses had reportedly chemistry tested a number of presenters. The Chase star Bradley Walsh, The One Show’s Alex Jones and comedian Alan Carr were said to be among the frontrunners for the role.
Others screentested include Rylan Clark, Rob Rinder, Zoe Ball, Holly Willoughby, Amanda Holden, Alison Hammond and Angela Scanlon. A source told The Mirror: “It could be two women or two men paired, or a mix. They will ultimately choose whoever has the best chemistry in each partnership.”
Tess had presented Strictly since it was launched in 2004. Claudia Winkleman joined as a permanent presenter in 2015 when the late Sir Bruce Forsyth retired from the show.
