Strictly Come Dancing bosses have reportedly signed up comedian and dance floor alumnus Ellie Taylor to be the face of its revamped It Takes Two spin-off.
Taylor, 42, is best known for playing Flo “Sassy” Collins on Apple TV+ hit Ted Lasso as well as her appearances on 8 Out of 10 Cats, Mock the Week and The Mash Report. She competed on Strictly Come Dancing back in 2022, making it to Week 10 with her professional dancer partner – and new Strictly host – Johannes Radebe.
While it has previously been reported that Janette Manrara and Fleur East would not be returning to It Takes Two for the 2026 series, the first rumoured name to be replacing them has been revealed – and it’s comedian Taylor.
The actor has reportedly agreed a deal with producers to become the new face of the Strictly companion show, which will undergo major changes later this year.
“Ellie was hugely popular with viewers when she appeared as a contestant on Strictly in 2022, and her infectious personality was also a hit with the senior production team,” a source told The Sun, adding that she was even being considered to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on the main show before Radebe, Josh Widdicombe and Emma Willis were announced as the new hosts in May.
“They were very keen to get her on It Takes Two which they felt was too boring and needed a major revamp,” they continued. “So she’s been hired for the It Takes Two hosting job.”
The Independent has contacted the BBC and Taylor’s representatives for comment.
Last month, it was revealed that the companion show’s executive producer, Eve Winstanley, had quit the show after 10 years. In a LinkedIn post, she wrote that it was time to leave It Takes Two and “hand over to a new team to freshen things up”.
Earlier in the year, it was reported that It Takes Two would face a major format change, with it becoming a vodcast – much like the companion show to BBC One’s The Traitors. “There is definitely a creative renewal on the table for It Takes Two, and they are poised to sign off on the radical option of a vodcast,” a source told The Sun at the time.
While the BBC told The Independent that it was “factually incorrect” to say that hosts Janette Manrara and Fleur East had been “axed” from the show, Manrara revealed in June that she had officially been dropped from her presenting role.
Meanwhile, her former co-host Fleur East is yet to reveal whether she will still have a role on the companion show, but admitted in May that she was “bothered” by not being considered to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on the main show.
So far, Strictly has announced ten celebrity contestants from its 2026 line-up, with EastEnders’ Lacey Turner, reality star Dani Dyer, singer Delta Goodrem, stylist Chris Appleton, Love Island’s Cach Mercer, Big Brother host Will Best, Paralympic athlete Dame Sarah Storey, actor Jaime Winstone, House of the Dragon’s Bethany Antonia and footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips set to descend on the dance floor.
The hit BBC show will return to our screens on 19 September.
