Strictly Come Dancing 2025 winner suggests popular couple to take over from Tess and Claudia

Strictly Come Dancing winner Carlos Gu has revealed who he would like to see as the next hosts of the entertainment programme, taking over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

Following their departures from the BBC show, speculation has been rife as to who could take over from the presenting duo, but Gu has suggested two people who some may not have thought of.

Speaking to The Mirror, Gu suggested that husband and wife Janette Manrara and Aljaž Škorjanec would make a good presenting duo.

Manrara is the current host of companion series It Takes Two, while Škorjanec made a return to the Strictly dance floor in 2024, two years after he made his exit to pursue other career opportunities.

Amid a number of exits among the Strictly professionals, Škorjanec's name hasn't been thrown into the mix, so it's expected he will return to the professional line-up later this year.

Asked if he would make a good host for the show, Gu said: "Haha, I could never be a host. But I do like judging – in the nicest possible way – so maybe I’d make a good judge one day."

He continued: "Tess and Claudia were iconic, irreplaceable almost, but the show carries on.

"I’d like it if we could go back to when the show first started with Bruce Forsyth and have one male, one female. I like that combo. Janette and Aljaž would be my top choice."

Gu echoed a similar sentiment about Tess and Claudia earlier this year at the Radio Times Covers Party 2026, telling Radio Times: "They are icons, both Claudia and Tess, they made Strictly. Strictly is successful because of them. It is going to be different, and it's going to be fine.

"And me and all of the cast we're looking forward to seeing who the new hosts going to be. So it's going to be exciting, I think."

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and iPlayer later this year.

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