How Strictly’s Tess and Claudia became the nation’s sweethearts

There are not many jobs that start with a sidekick role on a new show about ballroom dancing and end 20 years later with the nation sobbing into their turkey leftovers as you say your final goodbye. But Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman – who will appear on Strictly Come Dancing for the very last time on Christmas Day – have made Saturday night television their own, and in the process become two of the most bankable stars in Britain.

Since the start of the millennium, we have had the privilege of watching them transform from the sort of pretty young presenters that were once ten-a-penny to national treasures with dazzling careers (the kind that, for a long time, were only open to men). Much of this success is down to their talent and charm – but it is also about chemistry, and the fun, chatty, ego-free relationship that developed between them. Here is how it happened – and why we will (sob) miss them so much once they're gone.

The early years: 2004 to 2010

When Strictly first aired, the show could easily have been called Brucie & his Ballroom Dancers. It was Bruce Forsyth who introduced everyone, announced the winners and – most importantly – made all the jokes, while a young model-turned-presenter named Tess Daly smiled prettily next to him in figure-hugging sequins, with glossy blow-dried tresses. Even the publicity shots feel very "magician and his lovely assistant", with Brucie grinning expansively while Daly looks at the camera with come-hither eyes.

Meanwhile, over on BBC Two, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two was created as a companion show and fronted by a young brunette reporter fresh from BBC Three (and just back from maternity leave with her first child). Quickly, Claudia Winkleman caught the producers' eye for her comic timing. However – talented as she clearly was – she wasn't yet a big enough name to replace a heavily pregnant Daly when she missed most of the second series to have her daughter; that role was filled by former winner Natasha Kaplinsky.

A friendship is born (but only on results night): 2010 to 2014

Brucie, who was already 82 in 2010, decided he couldn't take the strain of presenting the main show and the live results and so handed over the latter to Winkleman, who proved so adept that she quickly gave up It Takes Two (former contestant Zoe Ball took over). Almost immediately, Daly and Winkleman created a rapport that endeared them to the entire nation and sent ratings shooting up even higher.

"It is about chemistry and they have it in buckets," says PR expert Mark Borkowski. "At the time, we all thought Strictly was about Bruce – but as soon as Claudia arrived, she showed what a talented double act they were." It worked because Winkleman tended to play for laughs and allowed the more autocue-dependent Daly to flourish as her "straight man" – but also because there was genuine affection between them, and neither was trying to steal the limelight. "They just didn't project ego in the way men do and the audience warmed to that," says Borkowski.

A new era: 2014 to 2020

When Forsyth left for good, it should have been a foregone conclusion that this was becoming the Winkleman-Daly show. And yet, it was still a gamble for the BBC to allow two women – who, between them, were now also mothers to five young children – to present their biggest Saturday night offering.

"It really was a radical move," says Borkowski. "The BBC was under pressure to elevate more women to powerful roles and there was a strong female audience for Strictly , but still, it would have taken some institutional nerve to actually do it. I think the reason that they could pull it off was that there was the feeling that we had had enough of laddish chaos and it was absolutely true: they brought feminine serenity to the format – and pairing funny, clever Claudia with the smoothness of Tess was a brilliant move."

This was also the era when Winkleman, in particular, found her feet in terms of personal branding, creating a contrast to the sequins and razzle-dazzle of Strictly with her wispy fringe (which became thicker and longer with each passing series), mahogany tan, newly jet-black hair and lashings of kohl eyeliner.

Similarly, Daly started wearing younger, more fashionable clothes. "When I started working with her, there was a change of direction at Strictly ," says Daly's former stylist James Yardley. "It was the turning point when the show became a bit more modern, and Tess's styling went the same way. Bruce was a legend of TV, of course, but in terms of fashion, it was great to have this freshness to it."

The Covid years: 2020 to 2021

In what will surely be remembered as the most sweatpant-heavy era in almost all of our lives, the show became a vital source of glamour and ushered in the start of the now well-documented " Strictly effect" with Marks & Spencer, Rixo and Mint Velvet just three of the many brands that reported rapid sales surges after Winkleman and Daly wore their pieces.

Fashion-wise, Winkleman leant into her own personal style more than she had before – swapping long glitzy dresses for sharp monochrome trouser suits that paired perfectly with her increasingly poker-straight black hair, nude lips and lashings of eyeliner. Daly, meanwhile, started wearing more jumpsuits, three-quarter-length dresses and oversized jackets, and was reportedly even told by her now-teenage daughters to let loose and have fun with her style.

"With time, Claudia and Tess started to really grow and develop the show," adds Borkowski. "Their skill lies in the fact they are not omnipresent and aren't irritating, and as a result, let the show evolve. Tess is very human and calm, is never flustered, and Claudia is her perfect foil: she has the humour and the insight and is incredibly authentic, and they have nurtured the sort of relationship that is rare in television."

National treasures are born: 2022 to 2025

As Strictly was rocked by various scandals, Daly and Winkleman – who have each been happily married for more than 20 years – somehow managed to sail above all the controversy, winning multiple Baftas for presenting the show. There may have been dramas for the professionals and the stars, but for the nation, Strictly 's hosts brought a comforting blast of Saturday night entertainment that did a rare trick, bringing families together on the sofa – classic appointment-to-view TV.

Who could resist Winkleman's razor-sharp and lightning-speed wit as she chatted with contestants hot off the dance floor? And if, in later series, it felt borderline chaotic, that just made it all the more watchable. Daly, beaming her way through the links and clasping the sweaty hand of each star, post-performance, was the yin to Claudia's yang.

Equally, this was the period when Winkleman became famous for more than just ballroom dancing. The first series of The Traitors was broadcast in November 2022 and was so hugely successful that she quickly went from beloved television presenter to the most bankable small-screen star in Britain, and a genuine style queen.

Even so, knowing she would be fronting the Scottish whodunnit didn't stop the nation from mourning when the two women announced that this would be their last season on Strictly . "Claudia and Tess knew the format was struggling and had been wracked with the sort of scandals which would ultimately affect their brand, so nobody was surprised," says Borkowski. "Claudia is the most successful star on television at the moment – The Traitors is a hell of a thing – and Tess couldn't stay if Claudia went, so it had to end. But it has been delightful to watch and will be a very hard act to follow." That it certainly will be.

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