Angela Rippon has revealed that she is interested in hosting Strictly Come Dancing, two years after she was a contestant on the show.

The veteran broadcaster – who was the show’s oldest ever contestant when she was partnered by Kai Widdrington at the age of 79 in 2023 – would “of course” agree if she was approached to take over from departing hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.

Those who follow the BBC One dance show know that the presenting duo announced in October that they will be stepping down from their roles at the end of the current series, which is currently set to end on December 20.

Tess, 56, and Claudia, 53, announced their surprise exit news on social media in a joint statement, alongside a video in which they discussed their decision. They said: “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.

“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. They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day. We will cry when we say the last ‘keep dancing’ but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.”

Angela has now told the Daily Mail newspaper’s Eden Confidential column: “If they asked me, of course. It’s a very popular programme. Claudia and Tess have done a fabulous job, but no job is for life.”

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Angela competing in Strictly in 2023 with professional dancer Kai Widdrington(Image: PA)

The 81-year-old star previously presented Come Dancing, the amateur competition which pre-dated Strictly, for three years until 1991 and she knows what producers should look for in a new host. She said: “Someone that will bring the glamour, and just what everyone loves about Strictly.”

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Alan Carr is also among the popular names being tipped to take over Strictly hosting duties. However, the Celebrity Traitors star recently admitted that, although it would be an “honour”, he may be too “sweaty” for the show.

In an interview with the Radio Times magazine, he explained: “Apparently my name is in the hat [for Strictly Come Dancing], which is an honour, but I haven’t spoken to anyone at the BBC.

“You saw how sweaty I was in the castle [on The Celebrity Traitors], imagine me live on a Saturday night coming down those stairs [on Strictly] – people would slip in a pool of my sweat while doing the fandango. It’s lovely to be thought of, but it’s probably a bit too nerve-racking.”