Bake Off star tipped to host Strictly Come Dancing – as presenting shortlist narrows

Mel Giedroyc is the latest name to be thrown into the mix to replace Claudia Winkleman on Strictly Come Dancing, as speculation intensifies around who take over in the Clauditorium.

It has been reported that Giedroyc, who was once co-host on The Great British Bake Off, is being "eyed" by Strictly bosses to take over Winkleman's duties on the flagship programme.

A source noted that the Clauditorium "needs to be hosted by someone with a gentle touch, who can use humour to relieve the tension", when the celebrities and pros receive their scores from the judges.

"Mel is seen as a great swap for Claudia as they're both smart, funny, and have a reputation within the TV world for being easy to work with," a source told The Sun.

The BBC has confirmed that the new hosts will be announced in due course, with the broadcaster not commenting on speculation thus far.

Over the weekend, it was reported that Emma Willis and Zoe Ball were in final talks to take over from Tess Daly, with The Sun claiming that "only one will get it, not both".

A source told the publication: "The senior execs want a traditional presenter working alongside a more left-field person, a female stand-up comedian. It's felt the humour Claudia brought to the show, particularly in her 'Claudatorium', needs to be carry on."

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced their departure from Strictly Come Dancing during the show's 2026 run, noting that it felt like "the right time" to hang up their glitter.

In a statement shared on Instagram, the duo wrote: "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."

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But the series will always hold a special plays the pair's hearts, with Vernon Kay recently telling RadioTimes.com that he and Tess would still be tuning into the show.

"Yeah, of course! It's iconic, and it's in our family's DNA, it really is. So it holds a special place in both of our hearts and the kids as well," he said.

"Phoebe and Amber absolutely love it, and we're going to miss it. We're going to miss it, but it's still there. It's not gone, it's not vanished. We'll still be watching, we'll still be dialled in.

"We'll still be in the Star Bar after the show and enjoying it because it is the best show on UK TV."

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One later this year.

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