They always promised to leave together – and just like that, Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly have quit Strictly Come Dancing.

I write this piece completely caught off guard. I am unbelievably shocked, even though it shouldn’t really come as a surprise.

It’s hit me harder than I thought it would, because ultimately, I know this is the beginning of the end of Strictly. And after 21 years, truthfully, this is the ending the show deserves.

Absolutely no one has the star power of Claudia Winkleman right now. She has somehow become more popular than the most popular show on television since The Traitors launched in 2022 – even more so with the staggering success of its celebrity version.

Tess has been the beating heart of Strictly Come Dancing ever since it launched in 2004, presenting the f

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