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Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman left fans gobsmacked this week by announcing they would both be leaving Strictly Come Dancing after this series ends. With their big reveal on social media apparently a shock to cast and crew, as well as viewers, the presenters' departure message showed clear signs of "distress", according to a body language expert. Their final episode will air on Christmas Day, but despite the bold announcement on Instagram , they showed "micro expressions" of fear as they gear up to leave the crisis-riddled programme it has been claimed. Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, body language expert Darren Stanton revealed: "Tess and Claudia’s announcing their departure on last night’s live show was extremely telling. "If you look at Tess’s body language, she doesn’t know what to do with her hands, which is unusual for her. She’s wringing her hands together - that’s a clear distress signal to me. "She’s playing with her fingers, then interlocking her hands and bringing them apart. Her internal emotions seemed a little all over the place due to nerves. "She felt fearful during their opening monologue, which is understandable given it’s the first time she’s addressing a live audience. Facially, I also saw a couple of microexpressions coming from Tess, which are flashes of true emotion. They usually last for a fifth of a second, and there was a little bit of sadness in Tess’s face." Stanton deduced that Claudia was "definitely" more confident than Tess, despite both of them showing signs of "nervousness". He added that her body language, which included holding her hands together in front of her - signified a "pacifying gesture". This sort of motion is an indication that "inner emotions" are unstable. He also suggests there is a "backstory" to their exit, adding from their body language he believes they are not giving the "full picture". Although they are experiencing some discomfort with their decision, Stanton believes the pair are "very much united". He expanded: "They were facing each other during the speech, which means they are on the same page together. They are in deep rapport - there’s definitely no issues between Claudia and Tess. "Both of their bodies were facing inwards towards each other, denoting a deep friendship and strong connection. I think they’re very good friends away from set and definitely standing united during their time.” Claudia and Tess, who have presented Strictly together since 2014, while Tess has been on the show since it very first aired ten years earlier, in 2004. Insiders have said the pair always had a pact to leave together, but although they had reportedly been planning it for a year behind closed doors, the decision was still a shock to producers and crew. 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." Another source close to the duo said: "They always said they would go together when they felt right and it just feels right this year." The pair announced their were leaving on social media with a video. In a statement, they 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. We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show. They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day. “We will cry when we say the last ‘keep dancing’ but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza." Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
