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Strictly Come Dancing fans were left stunned earlier this week when it was revealed that hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be bidding farewell to the BBC show at the end of the current series. Daly has been a staple of the show since its inception in 2004, with Winkleman joining her full-time on the presenting team in 2014. But for the first time in over two decades, the show is set to welcome new faces at the helm, with a host of big names already being touted as potential replacements for the beloved duo. Leading contenders for the vacant spots include former Strictly Come Dancing : It Takes Two hosts Zoe Ball and Rylan Clark, as well as popular presenters Bradley Walsh, Holly Willoughby , Alison Hammond and Roman Kemp. However, a former sportsperson is also believed to be in the running for one of the roles, with ex-Lionesses star Alex Scott being given 4/1 odds of replacing either Daly or Winkleman by bookies. The 41-year-old - who earned an impressive 140 caps for England during her playing career - graced the Strictly dancefloor herself in 2019, becoming the first female footballer to participate in the show. Paired with professional dancer Neil Jones, she made it to the quarter-finals but ultimately finished fifth, with Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher taking the glitterball trophy. In a highly successful playing career, Scott made 150 appearances for Arsenal and also played for Birmingham City and the Boston Breakers as well as representing Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. However, since retiring from playing in 2018, she has built an even more lucrative broadcasting career, with her profile rising year-on-year After becoming the BBC's first female World Cup pundit in 2018, she has gone on to present popular programmes including Football Focus, Match of the Day and The One Show, as well as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. Her position on Football Focus has, however, seen her clash with another former BBC favourite, as she reportedly became involved in a 'heated' dispute with her predecessor on the programme, Dan Walker, in 2023. Following reports that the iconic Saturday lunchtime programme had suffered a big drop in audience numbers during Scott's tenure as host, Walker - who fronted the show from 2009 until 2021 - posted on social media: "It's hard to see Football Focus struggling. I loved it growing up and it was an honour to present it and I still miss it. We poured everything into that show each week and worked hard to keep it relevant. I hope it stays part of the TV landscape." Scott then responded to the message with a GIF that read 'interesting', prompting Walker to hit back: "I'm not saying you haven't Alex. It's a saturated market and it's hard work every week. I hope you have a good show today." However, Scott then replied by sharing a snap of the Television Show of the Year award from the previous year's Sports Journalism Awards. She captioned it: "We have big interviews with Ange Postecoglou and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard coming up on the 'Award' winning Football Focus tomorrow. Make that a headline." The pair reportedly continued their online feud at a charity event weeks later, as they were said to have had a "heated" argument at the Legends of Football dinner in 2023. However, they apparently ended the dispute on friendly terms, even embracing each other. Scott's links to the Strictly job come as she has reportedly signed up to another huge show, with the former right-back believed to have been in talks to join the cast of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Reports suggest she will follow in the footsteps of her ex-England teammate and previous Queen of the Jungle Jill Scott and join this year's campmates, which are rumoured to include model and actress Kelly Brook and rapper Aitch. Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
