Claudia Winkleman has admitted she's feeling "terrified" about her new hosting role on Strictly Come Dancing.
The 42-year-old presenter, who has recently been announced as Sir Bruce Forsyth's replacement on the beloved BBC dancing show, made the statement on Twitter on Saturday morning. "Thank you for your lovely messages," she wrote in reply to her fans congratulatory tweets. "Am terrified. X".
Given that she has presented Strictly for 10 years, Tess Daly was more excited than nervous about her co-host Claudia's appointment. Claudia Winkleman to co-host Strictly with Tess Daly "So thrilled to working with my girl @ClaudiaWinkle this year!" She posted, along with a picture of the duo. "This series is going to be a lot of fun! #SC".
Rumours were rife that Claudia, who previously presented the dance competition's spin-off show It Takes Two and stood in for Bruce when he was away, would take on the position of co-presenter alongside Tess for weeks.Now that the news has been confirmed by the BBC, Claudia and Tess, 45, will officially be making TV history as the first all-female pairing to host a prime-time Saturday night show. Darcey Bussell, one of the show's judges, showed her support for Claudia by claiming "I can't imagine her not doing it. "She’s been on board for most of the time anyway," said the retired ballerina. "And to have her part of the team is just brilliant."
Bruce, 86, confirmed his departure from the show after 11 seasons with a series of messages on his Twitter account. "After 10 wonderful years & 11 series, Sir Bruce Forsyth has decided to step down from the rigours of presenting our live shows", tweeted his representatives, before adding: "Sir Bruce is one of the great showbiz legends of our time and our success is due in vast amounts to him. This is not farewell!"