Zoe Ball has revealed she failed to land the coveted gig as Strictly Come Dancing host and is going through the ‘seven stages of grief’.
The former It Takes Two presenter was reportedly one of the finalists for the role and went through a rigorous audition process – but has shared that she ultimately did not get the role.
The confirmation of her fate comes after The Sun reported that Emma Willis is one of the lucky presenters to have been chosen by the BBC to take over from Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly. We are yet to find out who the co-host will be.
Zoe appeared on her Dig It podcast with Jo Whiley, out tomorrow, where she spoke about how tough the rejection was.
‘I didn’t get it, but it’s OK.
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‘I have worked through the seven stages of grief and rejection over the last couple of days.
‘No, I didn’t get it, but I tell you, what, if who I think has got it, we’re in safe hands and our new hosts are going to be fabulous.
‘I’m so thrilled for them, and hopefully at a later date, we’ll be able to talk about them in more detail,’ she said, according to The Sun.
Zoe is not the only major media personality dealing with disappointment after the national broadcaster conducted a series of screen and chemistry tests to determine the final duo.
The Sun has claimed Angela Scanlon, Alex Jones and Rylan Clark have also lost out, as well as actress and comic Miranda Hart and radio DJ Fleur East.
This leaves names like Alison Hammond and Josh Widdecombe – who is understood to have had an unexpectedly impressive audition – in the running.
The source who revealed Big Brother star Emma has landed the role, shared that ‘household name’ was seen as a ‘safe pair of hands’ and will ‘do the job justice’.
The insider continued: ‘She’s incredibly popular with the public too and will suit the role down to a tee. She was absolutely thrilled to have been offered the job.’
‘Strictly is one of the biggest shows on television and to be trusted with the new era is something Emma feels incredibly proud and humbled by.’
The BBC has told Metro that plans for Strictly 2026 will be confirmed in due course.
Once both co-hosts are announced, all that will remain is to discover who the new professional dancers are closer to the show’s return in autumn.
The recruitment of new pros comes after the brutal cull of five beloved dancers – Karen Hauer, Gorka Márquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk, and Michelle Tsiakkas.
So far, the BBC has confirmed all four judges will be returning alongside the rest of the pros.
One thing is for certain, with It Takes Two also reportedly taking on a new format, the flagship series will be very different come September to what we’ve been used to.
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