Put down the glitterball. Mop up the sequins. The news – oh, the unthinkable news – has arrived: Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are quickstepping away from Strictly Come Dancing.

‘We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream,’ the pair announced on Instagram this morning. ‘We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.’ You can almost hear the wails from Broadcasting House: how sad, how shocking, how very bittersweet! Another era of prime-time ratings dribbling down the drain.

The show wasn’t just about the ratings or the romance rumours or, even, the glamour. For viewers like me with two right feet, it was always about the comfort factor

Can anyone even remember that first episode in 2004, when Tess was introduced to th

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