Josh Widdicombe is reportedly set to co-host Strictly Come Dancing alongside Emma Willis, in a shake-up that would end Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s long run in the job. The 43-year-old comedian and presenter is said to have impressed during screen tests, with the pair now rumoured to be the new faces of the ’s flagship dance contest.
A source said Widdicombe has already been offered the role alongside Willis and that it is “his for the taking.” The source said he entered the running later than some of the others but “nailed the chemistry tests,” describing him as “quick-witted, kooky, awkward and funny.” If confirmed, the move would put him at the centre of one of the broadcaster’s most recognisable entertainment shows.
The reported plan comes after bosses were said to be considering bringing in three new people to refresh the programme’s presenting line-up. Widdicombe already has a link to the show: he signed up to the 2024 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special after his daughter urged him to take part, giving him a brief on-screen taste of the format before this latest twist in the hosting search.
Strictly’s presenter's chair has been watched closely because it is tied to a show with a long memory. Daly and Winkleman have fronted the main series for years, while Zoe Ball was previously seen as a front-runner for the job. Ball, who competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2005, later returned to front Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two in 2011 before leaving that spin-off in 2020, and she said she was “grieving” after missing out.
There is also a second moving part to the shake-up. Johannes Radebe, who joined the show in 2018 and became part of one of its most talked-about moments when he and John Waite reached the live final in 2021, will also be a roving presenter. A source said it was still being worked out whether he would host in the same way as Willis or take “a slightly different presenting role.”
For now, the clearest sign of where the process has landed is that Widdicombe is no longer just a test case. He has already been involved with the show, he has apparently passed the chemistry check, and the source’s message was plain: the job is there if the final sign-off follows the same line. If it does, Strictly’s next era will begin not with a cautious refresh, but with a full reset of how the show looks to viewers at the top of the screen.
