Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have signed a new two-year 'Strictly Come Dancing' deal.
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have signed a new two-year Strictly deal
The co-hosts have put pen to paper on a new contract to keep fronting the BBC Latin and ballroom - which they have presented together since 2014 - and it is said bosses "couldn't contemplate" the pair not being at the helm of the programme.
A TV insider told The Sun newspaper's TV Biz column: "Beeb chiefs absolutely love Tess and Claudia and wouldn’t dream of ever losing them.
"They are especially proud of the fact that they have two women hosting a show on a Saturday and Sunday on prime time BBC1. It is an enviable position to be in.
"Strictly’s leading ladies may command a high price, but the Beeb view them as great value for money given how popular they are with viewers.
"In the nine years they’ve been fronting the show, Tess and Claudia have become synonymous with the programme and bosses couldn’t contemplate them not being its presenters.
"Which is why execs are so keen to sign them up for another two years and ensure they don’t get poached by a rival broadcaster for their big shows."
In September, Tess' husband, fellow TV presenter Vernon Kay, said she will never quit the show, and wants to keep hosting the series until she is in her 80s, like former co-host Sir Bruce Forsyth.
Bruce stepped down when he was 86 and passed away aged in 2017 aged 89.
Vernon said: "'Strictly' was probably one of the first shows to embrace two women as the main anchors of a huge Saturday night entertainment show.
"We’ve seen Ant and Dec for decades double-heading a show and I don’t think two women had done that before on such a large scale.
"As far as prime-time entertainment shows go, Claudia and Tess really broke the mould."
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