MX23RW : Thursday, October 3 20:07:01| >> :600:1623259:1623259:

Tess Daly: 'I pinch myself hosting Strictly Come Dancing'

Tess Daly: 'I pinch myself hosting Strictly Come Dancing'
© BBC
Tess Daly describes herself as "lucky" to be hosting Strictly Come Dancing 20 years down the line.

Tess Daly has said that it "feels like a privilege" to still be hosting Strictly Come Dancing 20 years down the line.

The celebrity ballroom competition has been a mainstay of the BBC schedules for the last two decades, having first aired in May 2004, and continues to be a huge ratings success every year.

Daly, meanwhile, has also been a mainstay - hosting every episode of the show since its inception, initially alongside the late Sir Bruce Forsyth and since 2010 with Claudia Winkleman.

"I have to pinch myself when I realise it's been 20 years since starting work on this brilliant TV show I was lucky enough to be chosen to be a part of," she said. "None of us knew at the time if it would work, and none of us could've foreseen its stratospheric success.

"It genuinely feels like a privilege to be part of such a talented team who work tirelessly to produce a live show of this scale each week."

She continued: "It's such an honour to have been there since the very first show aired back in 2004 and now here we are about to celebrate our 20th birthday.

"My overriding memories of that first show are of being very nervous and very pregnant! But even then, there was a buzz in the air, like no other I'd ever experienced on a live television show. It felt so exciting, and it still does."

Strictly Come Dancing's launch show airs tonight at 7.20pm on BBC One.

ID:552873:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect1877:

Follow us on X/Twitter and like us on Facebook for the latest entertainment news alerts.

Media Mole Low-Price Offer: Get Sky Entertainment, Sky Stream & Netflix for just £20 a month + £0 upfront fee for 24 months!
Prices may change during this period. Ends November 6, 2024


Click here for more stories about Tess Daly

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Strictly Come Dancing hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly
Read Next:
Tess Daly, Claudia Winkleman 'sign new two-year Strictly deals'
>
rhs 2.0
New TV Picks header

Thursday, October 3


Heartstopper: Netflix, from 8am
Season three is here, and our gang are growing up! Expect serious issues, swearing (!).... and sex.

House of Spoils: Prime Video, from 8am
Ariana DeBose stars as a new restaurant owner who is haunted by the threatening spirit of the former owner

Boris Johnson: The Laura Kuenssberg Interview: BBC One, 7.30pm
Uh oh... he's back

RuPaul's Drag Race UK: iPlayer, from 8pm and BBC Three, 9pm
The annual sewing challenge returns with a twist - this time it's a team competition

Married At First Sight UK: E4, 9pm
Intruder alert! A brand new couple enter the experiment