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Former It Takes Two presenter Zoe Ball is the first to declare an interest in taking over the Strictly Come Dancing presenting gig now that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have announced that they are stepping down. The TV and radio personality took to her podcast to express her interest in filling Tess and Claudia's sparkly shoes. She told her co-host Jo Whiley that it would be "amazing" to return to the series. This comes shortly after Zoe, who took over for Claudia when she left Strictly spin-off It Takes Two, became one of the bookies' favourites to get the presenting gig. "I think everyone would like to do that job," she said, when Jo asked her if she wanted to do it. "It's an amazing job, it's the best Saturday night show. When I'm watching Ellie dancing with Vito or Lewis and Katya and Alex and JoJo.... they're just so amazing. It still brings so much joy to people's lives, that show. Whoever takes over will have the best gig in the world ." Zoe is the first major name to put herself forward for the job. The other favourites to take over are Rylan Clark, who also presented a series of It Takes Two, and the spin off's current presenting duo, Janette Manrara and Fleur East. Zoe competed in the 2005 series of Strictly Come Dancing and later took over as the host of It Takes Two in 2011. This was when Claudia, who had been hosting the series, moved to the main show. Zoe has also guest presented Strictly Come Dancing, when Claudia was on leave in 2014. In 2021, Zoe left the show after ten years there. If Zoe were to take up the role, it would not just be a return to Strictly for her. It would also be a return to a primetime BBC slot. The presenter stepped down from her Radio 2 Breakfast Show after nearly six years in 2024. When she first took over from Chris Evans in 2019, she was the first woman to present the show solo and became one of the BBC's highest paid stars. Her decision to leave was a surprise to everyone, Her reasons were that she wanted to spend more time with her children and explore new projects, but in August, she said sometimes questions her decision. Jo added that her ideal presenting duo would be Zoe and Alan Carr , who is currently on The Celebrity Traitors . Alan's popularity on the show has skyrocketed, and talks are already underway for him to have his own chat show following his Celeb Traitors stint. Elsewhere on the podcast, Zoe praised Tess and Claudia for their service to the show. "I just want to say to the girls, bravo. I think they're both fab and they're going to be a tough act to follow on that show." Both Tess and Claudia have been connected to Strictly since 2004. Their exit announcement was a shock to many. The pair announced it via a joint statement on Instagram, where 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." Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
