Claudia Winkleman has revealed she has been left in the dark about this year's upcoming Strictly Come Dancing line-up. Appearing on Tuesday's This Morning, the 47-year-old and her co-host Tess Daly were quizzed whether they know anything about who could be taking to the floor when the popular BBC show returns later this year. "Well they now tell me after they tell the press," shared Claudia. "One year they bought me in, phones off, heads down and said, 'Claudia it's very secret' and I went 'Gotcha, don't tell anyone.'"
Claudia Winkleman with her Strictly co-host Tess Daly
However, the TV star went on to explain how she bumped into someone in a lift who had asked her about the line-up. "Got in the lift at the BBC, went down and somebody went, 'Oh yeah, you do the Strictly show, do you know who's doing it?' [I then] said the whole list of names," she added. "Afterwards they said, 'She's a bit leaky.'" Meanwhile, Tess confessed that the pair tend to "bother" show bosses with who they would like to see take part. "We do bother them for people we think should do it," she confessed. "We're constantly pestering them."
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When asked about radio presenter Chris Evans signing on to the competition, Tess replied: "He'd be fantastic." In December, Chris surprised The One Show viewers when he revealed he will be taking part in the next series. "I have said yes," he confessed, also explaining: "Probably only because my wife would like to go every week. You'd know because you get a pair of tickets don't you?"
Elsewhere, Claudia and Tess have pledged to practice what they preach and "Keep Dancing" in an epic challenge that will see them floss, dab and salsa to the beat for the longest ever Danceathon in Red Nose Day history. Kicking off on 11 March through to 12 March, the stars will put their dancing skills to the test as Radio 2 turns into a giant jukebox, playing the very best floor fillers from the 60s, 70s and 80s right up to the present day. The dancing marathon will push the duo to their limits, both physically and mentally, as they swap the side lines of the dancefloor for centre stage and dance non-stop for over 24-hours, all to raise vital cash for Red Nose Day to help Comic Relief improve countless lives both here in the UK and internationally.
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