Shirley Ballas reveals if Strictly can survive without Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly
Strictly Come Dancing star Shirley Ballas has addressed the future of the show after the news Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are stepping down.
Shirley Ballas insists Strictly Come Dancing will "absolutely" survive after Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly leave.
The long serving presenting duo recently shocked fans by announcing they will be stepping down at the end of the current series, but head judge Shirley pointed to the way the BBC show has kept going despite other departures over the years.
She told Best Magazine: "Absolutely. It survived both Len Goodman and Sir Bruce Forsyth leaving - bless them both.
"Strictly is bigger than any of us - the celebrities, professionals, presenters, judges...
"It's like Coronation Street in that no one is bigger than the show."
Goodman - who died aged 78 in 2023 - left Strictly after the 2016 Christmas Special, having taken over as head judge 12 years earlier.
Forsyth co-host the BBC talent show from 2004 to 2013 with Tess by his side, making his last full TV appearance on the show's Children In Need Special in 2015, two years before his death.
When it comes to Tess and Claudia's exit, Shirley admitted the two presenters will be missed.
She added: "I will miss Tess and Claudia very much but sometimes in people's lives they feel it's time to move on and we have to respect this.
"One day I'll be ready to move on, too, and that will be my choice. But Strictly Come Dancing is an institution.
"It will thrive for as long as it is bringing joy to the public - and the public is who Strictly is for."
Speculation is rife about who will replace Tess and Claudia next year, and while Shirley is staying tight lipped about her own picks, she admitted her mum has one name in mind.
She teased: "I definitely have some ideas about who I'd like but can't possibly say at this stage, darling.
"If my mum Audrey has her way, Rylan will be one of them, though!
"What is for sure is that we need a pair of seasoned professionals for it. It's going to take two very, very special people."
