They are among the most coveted roles in television, with every top presenter in the country vying for the positions. Now, the BBC has confirmed that Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe are the brand-new hosts of Strictly Come Dancing.
The unlikely trio will take over from outgoing hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who stepped down at the end of last year following a rigorous audition process. Ms Willis, 50, was the first of the duo to be signed by BBC bosses after a shortlist of presenters underwent chemistry reads and screen tests over the past few weeks.
Last week, Josh emerged as the shock favourite to host the BBC dance show alongside Emma after impressing bosses. No stranger to the programme, Josh appeared on the 2024 Christmas Special dressed as a penguin, where he danced alongside professional Karen Hauer, who will not be returning for the upcoming series.
Josh marks the first male to front the programme since Bruce Forsyth, which could prove to be big shoes to fill. Sir Bruce, who died in 2017, starred alongside Tess Daly until his retirement in 2013, when Claudia Winkleman then took over. Josh has appeared as a co-host on The Last Leg alongside Alex Brooker and Adam Hills since 2012.
Bosses will be hoping Josh will serve as a replacement for Claudia's comedic energy and help put contestants at ease, while Emma will steer the show. Ms Willis started her career as an MTV presenter in 2002, and in 2007 she landed a role on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW! – a spin-off of the main ITV reality show.
But it wasn't until 2013, when she landed the role as the host of Big Brother on Channel 5 and The Voice UK on the BBC, that she became a household name. She fronted Big Brother until 2018 and moved over to ITV with The Voice, which she still presents, over a decade later.
She met Busted singer Matt Willis during her stint at MTV, and the pair soon became one of the showbiz scene’s most high-profile couples. They married in 2008 at Rushton Hall, Northamptonshire, and a year later had their daughter Isabelle, 16. They went on to have son Ace, 14, and Trixie, 10. The couple have even presented together in the past – appearing on ITV2’s I’m a Celebrity spin-off and hosting Netflix’s UK version of Love is Blind.
