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Strictly's Oti Mabuse says show will 'go on for years' after Tess and Claudia's exit

Oti Mabuse said Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are 'so brilliant' but she expressed her beliefs that Strictly Come Dancing will 'survive and thrive' in the future

[Oti Mabuse]

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Oti Mabuse said Strictly Come Dancing will continue to thrive(Image: Getty Images)

Oti Mabuse has said she believes Strictly Come Dancing "will go on for years" despite Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepping down.

The professional dancer, who has recently become head judge on Dancing With The Stars Ireland, the Irish version of the show, described the TV hosts as "brilliant" but said she believes Strictly "will survive and thrive" in the future, even without them. Oti, 35, said her new job as a judge has made her realise how difficult presenting must be, as hosts have to make sure everything runs smoothly during the live show.

She declared: "I love Strictly. I wouldn't be sitting here without that show. Strictly belongs to the people, and as long as the people still love it, it will go on for years."

[Oti Mabuse]

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Oti is now a head judge on the Irish version of Strictly(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

[Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly]

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Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly hosted their final episode of Strictly on Christmas Day(Image: PA)

Paying tribute to Claudia and Tess, she told The Times: "Claudia and Tess are I get emotional when I talk about it, because they are just so brilliant. Nobody really sees the work Tess has to do - that show's live, she's making sure it's not running over. Now I'm a judge I appreciate the job even more because I can talk for days, I can hear the producers in my ear saying, 'Make it snappy!'

"Then Claudia's amazing her wit, her humour. But we've lost judges, we've lost pros, we've lost producers and the show is just itself." The dancer, who won Strictly twice, with Kelvin Fletcher and Bill Bailey, added: "I think it will survive and thrive.

"And I think anyone who gets asked to do that job is so lucky and will do it splendidly, the producers will do a good job [choosing] because they know that show better than any of us." Tess and Claudia presented Strictly together for one final time during the Christmas special. As soon as the show began, fans couldn't hold back their emotions as they realised that this was all the end of an era.

One fan said on social media: "This is Tess & Claudia's last Christmas special. This show is never gonna be the same without these queens. Another said: "It's the final time we'll ever see Tess and Claudia together. It's Christmas but I am mourning."

[Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly]

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The presenters announced they were stepping down in October(Image: BBC)

A third wrote on X: "An emotional one tonight as it's Tess and Claudia's last show as hosts. Get ready to mark the end of an era as Tess and Claudia officially sign off as hosts!" Tess and Claudia announced they were stepping down as hosts in a post shared on both of their Instagram accounts in October.

"There have been some rumblings and we want you to hear this from us," Claudia said, as Tess added: "We have some news. After 21 wonderfully joyful years on Strictly we have decided that the time is right to step aside and pass over the baton."

"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," they wrote. "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."

The BBC is now looking for new hosts to replace the iconic duo - with presenters including Bradley Walsh, Alex Jones and Alan Carr said to be among the frontrunners. Other potential names floating around are Rylan Clark, Rob Rinder, Zoe Ball, Holly Willoughby, Amanda Holden, Alison Hammond, and Angela Scanlon are reportedly being considered too.

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