Strictly presenting job 'ruled out' by ITV favourite

As could only be expected following the news that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be stepping down as hosts of Strictly Come Dancing at the end of the year, presenters from across the TV industry are now all being asked whether they could be the one to take on the mantle.

One of those who has recently been asked is Dermot O'Leary, best known for his work on ITV shows like The X Factor and This Morning.

O'Leary was appearing on Ireland's The Six O'Clock Show this week, when he was asked by hosts Brian Dowling and Katja Mia to "confirm or deny" whether he might take on the Strictly job.

O'Leary was quick and firm in saying "deny", before explaining why.

"You know, being an X Factor kid, that's like Julia Roberts in Sleeping with the Enemy," he said.

When Dowling noted that "Simon Cowell would not allow that," O'Leary joked, "Even though the show's not on TV anymore, he'd still hunt me down!"

While O'Leary may have ruled himself out, there are still plenty of other reported to be in the running. While one report has suggested Alex Jones and Bradley Walsh are being "lined up" to present the entertainment programme, it has also been suggested that It Takes Two hosts Janette Manrara and Fleur East could move across to the main show.

Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton, Rylan Clark, Emma Willis and Graham Norton are also among those whose names have been mentioned in relation to the hosting job.

When Daly and Winkleman announced their decision to leave Strictly, they said in a joint statement: "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. Tess & Claud"

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 22nd November at 6:35pm.

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