Claudia Winkleman has spoken out about Strictly Come Dancing ahead of the new series starting next month.
The TV presenter is excited to host the 20th anniversary show alongside her sidekick Tess Daly.
But, she said, there is one sour point – as Strictly pros Oti Mabuse and Aljaž Škorjanec will not be returning.
Talking on The One Show, Claudia shared she was the last to know everything because she couldn’t be trusted to keep her mouth shut.
She confessed: “Not only am I not allowed to say anything, they don’t tell me anything! They literally don’t tell me. They tell me after they’ve told Tess and the press because I’m leaky.”
Addressing the subject of Oti and Aljaž leaving, Claudia added: “I know, we’re going to miss them so much.”
Oti announced she was leaving the show back in February after seven years as a professional dancer.
The performer joined the show in 2015 and went on to become the only pro dancer to ever win the series two years in a row.
She won the Glitter Ball trophy with Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher in 2019 and with comedian Bill Bailey in 2020.
Sharing the news on Instagram, the 32-year-old wrote: “Never easy to say goodbye. I have been part of the most amazing TV show, Strictly Come Dancing, for the past seven years and it has been an incredible time.
“Lifting the glitter ball twice and having the best journey with all my celebrities, but also meeting and working with the best team, crew, producers and professional dancers.
“I’m honestly so grateful to the BBC and will always remember that Strictly and the BBC brought me to the UK – which I now call home and I have learnt and grown so much.”
She added: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Oti’s sister Motsi Mabuse will return to the judging panel this season, alongside Anton Du Beke, Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel Horwood.
Aljaž announced he was also quitting the show after nine years as a pro dancer.
The star, who competed with Dragon's Den's Sara Davies last year, admitted he made the decision that 2021 would be his last appearance “some time ago”.
The Slovenian born 19 time ballroom champion was a favourite among viewers, and previously won the show with model Abbey Clancy in 2013. He also reached the final with Gemma Atkinson in 2017.
In a statement explaining his decision, Aljaž said: “On a beautiful sunny day in May 2013 one phone call changed my life forever!
“It went like this... we would like to offer you a position on @bbcstrictly as a professional dancer. A dream became a reality and it was the biggest opportunity for a 23 year old boy from Slovenia. It didn’t matter how many beautiful ballrooms I performed in during my competitive career, stepping onto the sacred Strictly floor was the most nervous I had ever been.
“A little while ago I made the tough decision that Strictly 2021 would be my last. The show has given me an opportunity and freedom to create and express myself in front of millions of people every weekend for the last 9 years. The love and support I got from the team of producers was second to none. Louise Rainbow, Sarah James, Kim Winston, Jack Gledhill are just a few of the unsung heroes behind the success of the show - I am forever grateful to them!“
Four new professional dancers – Vito Coppola, Carlos Gu, Michelle Tsiakka and Lauren Oakely – will join the show.
They will star alongside returning pros Giovanni Pernice, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nancy Xu, Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Graziano Di Prima, Karen Hauer, Kai Widdrington, Gorka Marquez, Johannes Radebe, Nikita Kuzmin and Amy Dowden
*Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday, September 17
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