In the same week Strictly’s presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced their exit from the show, two Strictly stars scrapped plans to pay tribute to the pair onscreen
Strictly stars Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood scrapped plans to dress up as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman during Icons Week ahead of the presenting duo’s shock exit announcement. With the judges dressing as various icons for the themed week, Anton and Craig originally planned to dress as Tess and Claudia – but ultimately decided to appear as David Bowie and John Lennon instead.
This was the first show Tess and Claudia presented since announcing via Instagram on Thursday (23 October) that they would be stepping down at the end of this series. They will be leaving on Christmas Day, though the show will be filmed well before that day.
The Mirror understands that scrapping Craig and Anton’s outfits was unrelated to Tess and Claudia’s exit announcement last week. A source revealed that while everyone found the idea hilarious, they decided to go with Bowie and Lennon instead – and that all four judges’ costumes were locked in before the exit announcement.
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It comes after a TV insider told The Sun that the costume was scrapped when Tess and Claudia chose to step down from the show. “Everyone is super sensitive to their decision and while bosses have a sense of humour, it was decided the idea may not land well with viewers,” they told the publication.
The Sun also reported that few people knew of the presenters’ plans to leave until they announced them publicly. In a joint video uploaded to Instagram, the pair said: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.”
Despite reports of the show’s fears about upsetting fans, the exit was still discussed on the show. Airing live on Saturday (25 October), Tess and Claudia addressed it themselves.
“We want to thank you for your beautiful messages,” Claudia said. “We’ve got another eight weeks on this incredible show and a Strictly champion to crown. We can’t wait to spend the rest of the series with you.”
Contestant La Voix also referenced the announcement on air, joking with Claudia about it. “Claudia, while I’ve got you, do you know the address when you send your CV to the BBC? Just in case any new jobs are coming up. I’m just asking for a friend,” she said. Claudia then invited La Voix to give the presenting gig her best go and the Drag Race star then read off the autocue, simply saying: “Tess.”
Speaking about the exit, a TV source told the Mirror: “The feeling is Tess and Claudia wanted to go out at the top and whilst the show is still huge and shortly after they received MBEs. Announcing it mid series also gives them a bit of a swan-song and doesn’t take the spotlight away from the winner.
“Claudia is right at her career peak with The Traitors and other TV offers flooding in. Tess has been hosting the show for more than two decades and like that idea of more weekends with her family and her friends.
“The recent scandals around the show have also impacted the ratings a little bit and there might be more around the corner, so they weighed it up and feel it is the right time to quit.”
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