Strictly Come Dancing professional Johannes Radebe is reportedly set to join Emma Willis as part of the hosting line-up for the new series. The South African-born dancer and choreographer, 39, has been a professional on the show since 2018, but a new report now claims he could be presenting this year alongside Emma.
Emma, 50, was reported to be the first host confirmed on Sunday night, and soon after another favourite, Zoe Ball, revealed she had not got the job. Now Johannes could be in line for co-presenting with Emma after impressing during auditions and chemistry tests.
A source said: "Everyone involved in the auditions - including the celebs - are saying the job is going to JoJo. During the chemistry tests he was paired up with every other celeb and did incredibly well."
The insider added to The Sun: "They all think he would be the perfect partner for Emma. He has been announced as one of the returning professional dancers, but that doesn't mean bosses aren't going to promote him."
The publication goes on to claim that his position has not been officially confirmed yet and report that there could be three new hosts, with Johannes potentially acting as a "roving reporter" during shows. The BBC and a representative for Johannes have been contacted by the Daily Mail for comment.
Zoe Ball revealed on Monday that she failed to land the role of Strictly Come Dancing host. Zoe, who previously hosted Strictly spin-off It Takes Two, announced she "didn't get" the gig and is "working through the seven stages of grief and rejection." Despite missing out, Zoe said she is "thrilled" for the people who got the role and insisted the BBC has made the "right decision."
Speaking on her Dig It podcast with Jo Whiley, Zoe said: "I didn't get it, but it's OK. I have worked through the seven stages of grief and rejection over the last couple of days. No, I didn't get it. But I tell you what, if [it's] who I think has got it, we're in safe hands and our new hosts are going to be fabulous. I'm so thrilled for them, and hopefully at a later date we'll be able to talk about them in more detail."
The 55-year-old added: "I was so chuffed to even be in the mix. There were some pretty amazing people who didn't even make it into the mix. So I made it in the mix, and I had a really fun time having one last little play at a show that I love and adore. And I'm so thrilled for the gang that has got it. I think there's been so many eyes on this whole process, everyone's quite relieved now that a decision has been made and the right decision has been made."
Since Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman revealed that they would be stepping down from their presenting duties last year, a number of celebrities have been tipped for the role. A BBC spokesman told the Daily Mail: "Plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be confirmed in due course."
There have been plenty of other names thrown into the mix to take over in the past few months, including Rylan Clark, Alison Hammond, and Alex Jones. After weeks of speculation and multiple major names turning the job down, nine shortlisted stars were recently summoned to a top-secret location in London to battle it out in full-scale dress rehearsals with a judging panel and live band. BBC bosses forced the stars to sign strict NDAs to keep the tryouts under wraps and are hoping to announce a decision soon.
Among those confirmed to be in the callbacks were Rylan, Emma, Tom Allen, and Alex. The BBC has recently given an insight into what fans can expect for the 24th series of the much-loved programme. The likes of Dianne Buswell, Nancy Xu, Vito Coppola, Julian Caillon, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Amy Dowden, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, and Kai Widdrington will be returning to the dance floor this year. They will be joined by some professional dancers who are yet to be announced.
It comes after Karen Hauer, Gorka Marquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Michelle Tsiakkas, and Luba Mushtuk were all given the boot. The celebrities will be judged by Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton du Beke. Some of the themes returning each week will include Movies, Icons, Halloween, and Musicals, as well as the annual visit to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. But unfortunately, viewers will also have to wait a little bit longer to find out which famous faces have decided to sign up to the show this year.
Claudia recently hinted that Strictly Come Dancing's "glitz and glamour had started to wear off" for her and co-host Tess. The BBC presenter, 54, quit the hit BBC competition last year after 13 years alongside Tess, who was a host for 21 years. Asked by Closer magazine if the glitz and glamour had started to wear off for them both, she replied: "It's not that I wasn't excited at the end, but both of us were a bit like, 'Oh yeah cool. All right, so then I do that...'"
