Zoe Ball has shared her “grief” over failing to land one of the two Strictly Come Dancing hosting jobs.
BBC bosses have been scrambling to find a replacement for longtime presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman ever since they left the dance competition last year.
Earlier this week, it was claimed Emma Willis has scored one of the roles and is being lined up as a replacement for Daly.
Ball, who previously hosted Strictly spin-off It Takes Two, was tipped as a front-runner to get the other gig and is thought to have taken part in the gruelling audition process.
However, the 55-year-old has now revealed she didn’t get the job and is currently “working through the seven stages of grief and rejection”.
“I didn't get it, but it's OK,” she said on her Dig It podcast with Jo Whiley, out on Tuesday.
Ball - who left her Radio 2 job in 2025 - went on: “I have worked through the seven stages of grief and rejection over the last couple of days.
“No, I didn't get it, but I tell you, what, if who I think has got it, we're in safe hands and our new hosts are going to be fabulous. I'm so thrilled for them, and hopefully at a later date, we'll be able to talk about them in more detail.”
Sharing more details about the role, she added: “I was so chuffed to even be in the mix. There were some pretty amazing people who didn't even make it into the mix.
“So I made it in the mix, and I had a really fun time having one last little play at a show that I love and adore. And I'm so thrilled for the gang that has got it.
“I think there's been so many eyes on this whole process, everyone's quite relieved now that a decision has been made and the right decision has been made.”
According to The Sun, another hosting candidate was left “sobbing” after failing to land the job.
A source said: “The television industry is cut-throat. From the off, the BBC had their favourites but they knew they couldn’t just shoe-horn in who they wanted — it had to come down to the chemistry tests. The celebs were put into mix-and-match pairs.
“The people who didn’t get offered the job just weren’t the right fit.
“Some have taken it better than others. One big star who was tipped from day one has been sobbing about it — they were convinced the job was theirs for the taking.
“They genuinely thought they’d the best chance but when it came down to what it felt like on screen, it didn’t work. Sadly, that’s the nature of the business and no amount of soggy Kleenexes will change the decision.”
In January, Ball said she would “love” to host Strictly.
She told the Sunday Times: “Obviously there’s part of me that would love to do it. But I will still be watching, whoever hosts it.”
Ball hosted Strictly’s sister show It Takes Two for 10 series between 2011 and 2020, having appeared as a contestant on the show in series three in 2005, when she finished in third place with her professional partner Ian Waite.
She also stepped in as the main show’s host for a number of weeks in 2014 to replace Winkleman, who had to take time off to look after one of her children.
It comes as Willis was reportedly offered one of the Strictly hosting jobs after “nailing the chemistry tests”.
She was thought to be one of the nine celebrities shortlisted for the audition process, including Rylan Clark, Tom Allen, podcast host Angela Scanlon and One Show presenter Alex Jones.
Also in the callbacks were This Morning host Alison Hammond, The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh, RuPaul's Drag Race star La Voix and Zoe Ball.
The Standard contacted Willis’ representative for comment.
A BBC spokesperson said: "Plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be confirmed in due course."
Winkleman and Daly announced that they would step down from Strictly last year after 21 years in an emotional joint statement.
