Ellie Taylor set to host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two
Comic Ellie Taylor is reportedly the new host of Strictly Come Dancing spin-off show It Takes Two.
Ellie Taylor will be the new host of Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.
The 42-year-old comic - who came seventh when she competed in the 2022 series of the show with new host Johannes Radebe - is reportedly set to take the reins of the weekday show after Fleur East, 38, was dropped and co-host Janette Manrara, 42, decided not to return and bosses pushed for a total "revamp" of the "boring" programme.
A source told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: “Ellie was hugely popular with viewers when she appeared as a contestant on Strictly in 2022, and her infectious personality was also a hit with the senior production team.
“She very much featured in the discussions when they were looking to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on the main show, and although she didn’t get that job, she remained in the executive team’s thoughts.
“They were very keen to get her on It Takes Two which they felt was too boring and needed a major revamp.
“So she’s been hired for the It Takes Two hosting job.”
Meanwhile, It Takes Two’s executive producer Eve Winstanley recently revealed she was stepping away from the show.
She wrote on LinkedIn: "I started on Strictly: It Takes Two as a young 20-something Assistant Producer, who at the time had not long finished working on the first series of Dancing on Ice.
“I simply had no idea that the world of glitter and sequins would become such a massive part of my life.
“Across 16 series, I had 5 different job roles, culminating in 10 fab-u-lous years as Exec.
“I couldn’t be prouder of being part of this iconic brand, but earlier this year I knew it was time to hang up my dancing shoes (in my head I’m a pro dancer) and hand over to a new team to freshen things up.”
In June, Janette - who was a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing from 2013 until 2020 - confirmed her exit from It Takes Two.
In a YouTube video, she told fans: "Strictly Come Dancing has now changed hugely. I'm no longer a part of It Takes Two or the main show.
"I'll still be involved in other ways. But that just means that I'm free to pursue and do many other projects that I've always wanted to do and never really thought about doing.
"Strictly is all I've known for the past 14 years, so it is a bit like, ‘Oh, we're going into a different world, a different space, how are we going to navigate that?’”
Strictly Come Dancing has undergone big changes since Tess Daly, 57, and Claudia Winkleman, 54, quit as co-hosts of the Saturday night dance competition at the end of the 2025 series in December.
Five new pros have signed up after Karen Hauer, 44, Gorka Marquez, 35, Nadiya Bychkova, and Luba Mushtuk, both 36, and Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, were all axed.
Emma Willis, 50, comedian Josh Widdicombe, 43, and 39-year-old Johannes - who has been a professional dancer on the programme since 2018 - were unveiled as the new hosts of the main show in April.
