As rumours run riot over who will take over from Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly on Strictly Come Dancing, Alan Carr has he ‘said no’ to the gig.
The latest season of the BBC reality series came to an emotional end last year as viewers said goodbye to Strictly stalwarts Tess and Claudia one last time.
Since they announced their departure from the series in October – after over a decade cooking up mischief on the dance floor together – there has been plenty of buzz over who could fill their shoes.
Already a seasoned TV duo from their time presenting their destination construction series together, best pals Amanda and Alan have been on everyone’s lips as strong contenders to take over.
Fresh from his iconic victory on Celebrity Traitors (which cemented him as a national treasure), Alan returned for Amanda & Alan’s Greek Job this month (which featured an early contender for best TV moment of 2026).
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Needless to say, the comic and his co-host Amanda certainly have the onscreen charisma and experience to pull it off.
Now, however, the 49-year-old comedian has confirmed that the pair rejected the idea of taking on the iconic gig.
The pair appeared on Jessie and Lennie Ware’s podcast, Table Manners, where they were asked about the speculation.
‘No, we said no ages ago,’ Alan revealed.
Why are Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly leaving Strictly Come Dancing?
In a statement on social media in October, the pair said: ‘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.’
At the time, Chief Content Officer Kate Phillips, added: ‘They’ve been integral to Strictly’s success over the last 20 years, but I understand why they’ve decided it’s time to hang up the glitter ball and get their weekends back.’
Co-host Claudia has a huge 2026 lined-up with her TV presenting schedule busier then ever, which may have contributed to her decision to step back.
As well as recording two new seasons of The Traitors (Celebrity and Civillian), her Channel 4 series The Piano has also been renewed.
The cherry on top for the TV personality was the confirmation of her own chat show, launching this year.
The Claudia Winkleman Show will be coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the spring and promises to welcome huge names from the worlds of TV, film, music and beyond.
He also used the chat as an opportunity to quash the rumours that his chat show, Alan Carr: Chatty Man, was making a comeback on Channel 4.
‘It would be nice to do a chat show, I don’t know, but no one’s approached me or anything,’ he added.
Meanwhile, his shut down of the Strictly rumour echoes what his co-star Amanda shared with fans in December on her Heart Radio show.
What are the current odds for who will host Strictly Come Dancing?
Paddy Power has shared their odds for who could step into Claudia and Tess’ sparkly shoes.
Zoe Ball 5/2
Rylan Clark 4/1
Fleur East 9/2
Alex Jones 5/1
Bradley Walsh 10/1
Hannah Waddingham 12/1
‘I want to say now that me and Alan are 100 per cent not doing Strictly. We are so flattered to be in that mix. We both are not doing it,’ she said at the time.
Although Amanda and Alan may be ruled out once and for all, there are still several TV personalities who are in the running.
Former It Takes Two host Zoe Ball marked herself out as a frontrunner after quitting her Radio 2 gig recently, making some fans wonder if she was planning a major career pivot.
In a recent interview with The Times, she said the Strictly job is ‘all anyone talks to me about.’
She continued: ‘At the moment I am in mourning for Tess and Claud because I love those girls. I think everyone’s name is being thrown into the mix.
Describing the show as a ‘beast,’ she added: ‘Obviously, there’s part of me that would love to do it. But I will still be watching, whoever hosts it.’
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