Alison Hammond has backtracked on her claim that she turned down an offer to become the host of Strictly Come Dancing.
The presenter hosts several shows on TV, including This Morning, The Great British Bake Off and For the Love of Dogs, but previously said she was unable to become one of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s replacements on Strictly as she was too busy.
“I’m so busy, babes, that I’m not sure it’s going to happen,” she told Radio Times earlier this month. “It’s unrealistic. I’m so happy they considered me, but I can’t do it because everything clashes.”
However, Hammond, 51, has walked back the suggestion she was offered the role, stating in a new interview. “Do you think I would turn down Strictly if Strictly came along? “ she told Metro. “Who would turn down Strictly? They'd be absolutely crazy.”
Hammond, who now said she’s “not too busy”, suggested she made her previous comments because she feels being so heavily rumoured as a replacement would ruin her chances of getting the gig.
“I was trying to back them off because ultimately everyone keeps putting my name in the mix and they're ruining my chances of even getting on to Strictly, do you know what I mean?
“You all need to stop talking about it because I need to get in. I can do Strictly. I can do it all. All these people saying: ‘I'm too busy, and I can't do it.’ I could do Strictly. Let's put that on the record.”
Several other names have been mooted as potential Strictly hosts, including Bradley Walsh, Zoe Ball and Alex Jones.
Asked about the speculation in January, Ball told The Times that Daly and Winkleman would be a “tough act to follow”.
“I think everyone's name is being thrown into the mix,” she said.
“Obviously, there's part of me that would love to do it. But I will still be watching, whoever hosts it.”
Another possibility is dancer Janette Manrara, one of the current hosts of Strictly spin-off series It Takes Two.
Asked about the possibility by Woman and Home magazine this year, Manrara responded: “To be honest, I keep giving the same answer: who doesn't want that job? If you love fun, family entertainment that makes people's hearts smile, it's the dream job. So, I think anybody that is in my field would love to do it, so we'll just see. We'll see what happens!”
The series will return to BBC One later this year.
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