The presenter and her co-host Tess Daly bowed out of their roles fronting the BBC One dance show back in December

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Claudia Winkleman on Strictly Come Dancing(Image: BBC)

Claudia Winkleman has spoken for the first time about quitting Strictly Come Dancing, and told how she ‘sobbed’ when the cameras stopped rolling.

The presenter and her co-host Tess Daly bowed out of their roles fronting the BBC One dance show back in December, after announcing their plans to leave mid-way through the 2025 series in October.

Fans will know that Stockport-born Tess, 56, presented the series alongside the late Sir Bruce Forsyth when it launched in 2004 while Claudia, 53, fronted its weekday companion show, It Takes Two.

The latter eventually moved on to host the Sunday night results show alongside Tess and joined the main show every Saturday from 2014, after Sir Bruce stepped down a few years before his death.

But after 11 years co-hosting Strictly together, Tess and Claudia announced their plans to depart the beloved programme, saying the “time was right”. In their joint statement at the time of sharing the news, 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. We will cry when we say the last ‘keep dancing’ but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.”

They then hosted the show for the last time live during the final of Strictly’s 23rd series on December 20, which featured a number of tributes to the presenters, including from the Queen. They were greeted by a standing ovation from the audience, which included Tess’ husband, broadcaster Vernon Kay, as they opened the episode.

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Claudia and Tess hosted Strictly for the last time in December(Image: BBC)

But now, Claudia has revealed her husband, Kris Thykier, and their children – Jake, 22, Matilda, 19, and Arthur, 14 – were in the audience. “We did our last piece to camera, then I went to my husband and sobbed,” she told

“Really, really cried. It was 20 years of my life. I know it was the right time. I will always be friendly with the team. We’re going out for dinner in a couple of weeks. It was emotional. It felt momentous. Just the end.”

When asked about the reason behind her and Tess’ exit, Claudia said the decision “occurred to both of us about a year before”. And she seemingly suggested it wasn’t anything to do with the scandals that have hit the show in recent years.

““Absolutely not, it is a genuinely beautiful show to be part of,” The Traitors star continued to the publication. “Almost every single person who’s taken part is happy they did. So no, it wasn’t that. The show deserves new.” She added: “We wanted to leave when we were on an absolute high.”

Meanwhile, Claudia’s next gig was confirmed in December. After heavy rumours she was being lined-up for her own chat show, the BBC has announced that The Claudia Winkleman Show will begin in the spring. The 53-year-old will present a new talk show which will see her host a “sofa full of stars” as she interviews them in front of a studio audience.

Claudia said in a statement: “I can’t quite believe it and I’m incredibly grateful to the BBC for this amazing opportunity. I’m obviously going to be awful, that goes without saying, but I’m over the moon they’re letting me try!”