Craig Revel Horwood has been a judge on Strictly Come Dancing since its inception in 2004.

Craig Revel Horwood addressed his future on Strictly Come Dancing ahead of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s departure. In October, the BBC duo shared a joint statement announcing they would be stepping down from Strictly after 11 years co-hosting together. Tess, 56, has fronted the BBC programme since 2004, starring alongside Craig, 60, who has also worked on the show since its inception.

Ahead of Saturday night’s grand final, Craig appeared on BBC Breakfast where he opened up about Tess and Claudia’s upcoming exit. “I’m super sad about that because I’ve worked with Tess since the very beginning – 21 years ago and it’s hard to say goodbye,” the TV judge said. “I know that people have to move forward and I wish her all the love in the world and all the good luck for getting other spectacular jobs which I’m sure she will do.”

Although Strictly is losing its two presenters, fans don’t need to worry about Craig’s spot on the panel.

“I will be dragged out kicking and screaming from that position,” he confessed. “I’ve got the best front seat in the world darling for all that spectacular dancing and it’s my lovely Saturday job.”

Craig continued: “It’s like doing a paper round for me. You get to meet lots of lovely people, you get to see amazing dance routines and it’s a fantastic show to be a part of.

“It’s gone to 63 countries worldwide and got the Guinness World record for the most produced format in the world.”

He added: “There’s a reason it did win the hearts and minds of not only this nation but around the world. Dance is for everyone – it’s a human consideration.”

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

Craig sits on the judging panel with Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke. During last weekend’s results show, Tess and Claudia were left in tears as they were presented with an emotional video featuring footage from their time on Strictly.

When the four judges joined Claudia in the Clauditorium for a discussion ahead of the results, they called Tess to join them.

Craig explained that they wanted to pay tribute to the presenters, saying: “We just want to tell you how much we’re going to miss you and how much we love you to bits.”

He added: “I personally, want to say thank you Clauds for the dresses and the shoes you’ve thrown my way and to you Tess, for all the pizza parties in your dressing room.”

“Between the two of them, they are magic,” Shirley declared in the clip. “They showed me the ropes and cared about me and I for sure am going to miss them deeply.”