Former Strictly Come Dancing professional James Jordan has said the show will continue seamlessly after the exit of hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.
“It’s a juggernaut you could change everyone on the panel, the judges, the professional dancers, the show is such a strong format, no matter who you have on there, it will be great,” Jordan said of the programme’s future.
The 47-year-old, who was a Strictly pro from 2006 to 2013, however noted that Winkleman and Daly were the foundational “bricks and water” of the programme. “The show wouldn’t have been as successful without them,” he said, adding it was a “big statement” for the duo to leave together.
Daly, 56, has hosted the show for 21 years while Winkleman, 53, joined as co-presenter on the main programme in 2014, having previously hosted the Sunday night results show. They announced on Thursday (23 October) that they are stepping down after the end of the current series.
Jordan dismissed speculation that Winkleman and Daly opted to leave the show following past bullying scandals but told MailOnline that BBC bosses would now need to make “big changes” to the show.
“Some of the pro dancers need to go, there needs to be more fresh blood in the professionals now,” Jordan said.
“I’m not naming names because that's unfair but some pros on the show are weak, you need to know when to hang up your shoes to be honest with you.”
Jordan was a Strictly professional for seven years alongside his wife Ola. During his time on the programme, he danced with stars including Gabby Logan, Cheri Lunghi and Zoe Lucker.
Known for his outspoken responses to judges' comments on the show, Jordan’s biggest success was reaching the final with Denise Van Outen in 2012, placing second behind Olympic gymnast Louis Smith.
Winkleman and Daly will continue to front Strictly until the end of this year’s series, which is the 23rd season of the programme. It will conclude on Saturday, 20 December with their final episode being the Christmas Special on 25 December.
“We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream,” the pair said in a statement. “We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.”
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