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Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly are leaving Strictly(Image: BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing devotees were left gobsmacked when Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman revealed they had resigned from the dance show in a surprise statement released on Thursday. The duo stated they were “always going to leave together and now feels like the right time”.

They will bow out at the conclusion of the current series, with the Christmas special set to be their swansong. On Friday, it was reported that Claudia – who also presents Traitors and Celebrity Traitors – is in advanced negotiations to host her own chat show, external.

The BBC has remained silent on the matter. Rumours are swirling about who will fill Tess and Claudia’s coveted roles on the Strictly dance floor.

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Vincent Simone has hinted Noel Edmunds as a possible replacement(Image: Getty)

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Paddy McGuinness should be a contender according to the Strictly legend(Image: Getty)

And two unexpected celebrities are leading the pack, according to former Strictly performer, Vincent Simone. The professional dancer, 46, was a part of the show from 2006 to 2012.

He has now divulged who might step into the shoes of the show hosts in a shock confession, reports the Express. He said: “It’s hard to predict. I think the BBC should go for people who are already well-known and experienced – not newcomers. Familiar faces that the audience already trusts, like Paddy McGuinness or even Noel Edmonds.

“If you bring in big names the public already loves, they’ll go along with the change more easily.”

He also expressed his “shock” upon discovering Tess and Claudia would be departing the dance competition. Vincent expressed his surprise, saying: “It was a real shock to the system to find out about Tess and Claudia! I heard the news while driving to a show.

“Someone in the van said, ‘Tess and Claudia are leaving!’ and I went, ‘What?’ That’s the shock of the year for me. Maybe if one of them had left it’d make sense, but both at once – that’s huge.”

Meanwhile, other celebs rumoured to fill Tess and Claudia’s shoes include Holly Willoughby, Janette Manrara and Maya Jama among others. And LadBaby also put their name in the ring.

The online stars, Mark Hoyle and his wife Roxanne said they were “in” after fans on social media called them the ideal pairing. Following their stint presenting at this year’s Pride of Britain Awards, fans have expressed their desire for the couple to take centre stage on Strictly.

One user gushed on Facebook: “These two beautiful people are my pick for the new hosts to replace Tess and Rylan to replace Claudia on strictly.” A second agreed, saying: “Wow this was brilliant you two are amazing you presented this like real professionals , you both need to be grabbed up for your own show.”