BBC fans in tears as Tess and Claudia bid emotional farewell in final Strictly appearance

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on It Takes Two

The pair will be leaving Strictly after 21 years (Image: BBC)

BBC fans were left in tears during the Strictly special It Takes Two episode dedicated to Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. The hosts will be leaving their roles after 21 years at the end of the current series. Speaking to Fleur East and Janette Manrarathe pair recalled some of their favourite memories from the years they worked together, and reminisced about experiences with the late Len Goodman and Sir Bruce Forsyth. Fans who were watching at home couldn’t help but react to the heartwarming scenes.

One person said on X: “Can’t believe we only have 2 weeks left of Tess and Claudia. It really is the end of an era,” with a crying face emoji.

A second also commented: “Already emotional at this special show for Tess and Claudia, end of an era.” A third chimed in: “Some of Claudia’s best bits with Len have me in tears.”

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Tess, 56, and Claudia, 53, previously announced that they would be leaving Strictly at the end of the current series last month and stressed that they had always planned to exit “together”.

In a video message posted on Tess’ Instagram feed, they said: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream.

“We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.

“We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show. They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day.”

Katya Jones BBC

Katya Jones was in tears over her surprise exit during last night’s show (Image: BBC)

During last night’s episode of It Takes Two, Katya Jones blamed herself for her and Lewis Cope’s Strictly Come Dancing exit.

The 36-year-old dancer and the former Emmerdale actor were surprisingly eliminated from the competition over the weekend, and Katya became visibly emotional as she expressed her regret about their Musicals Week departure from the show.

She said: “Looking back, I can’t help but think maybe I could have done things differently to make it work for him better.

“But he could only do what I asked him to do, and whatever I’ve asked you to do, you didn’t just do this time, (you did it) every single day.

“We were in a tough position I feel, we were expected to deliver these almost perfect, show stopping routines every single Saturday, which you did. I don’t know how. It is tough, but also, I’m really, really proud. We grafted.”