A GIRLBAND singer is in the running to become a new Strictly host, after her return to the BBC show.
The news broke in October that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman were quitting Strictly Come Dancing after hosting the show together for 11 years.
And now, a famous face who starred on the show in 2018 is firmly in the running.
Pussycat Dolls star Ashley Roberts is now one of the favourites to take one of the vacant hosting seats next year.
According to Esports Bets, Ashley, 44, has odds of 5/1 to be one of the two replacements.
Darragh Harbison, spokesperson for Esports Bets, said: “Ashley Roberts’ return to the Strictly Ballroom last night showed she’s still very much part of the Strictly story, and at 5/1 she’s now a serious contender to move into the presenter role.”
But Holly Willoughby remains the frontrunner at 3/1, and Strictly judge Anton Du Beke is also experiencing renewed interest and now quoted at 9/2.
Darragh of Esports went on: “Holly Willoughby at 3/1 remains the safe bet to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman given her compliance with the Saturday night format, but Roberts’ momentum is hard to ignore.
“Former dancer and current judge Anton De Beke has also shot into contention for a presenting role; he’s now 9/2 to give up his panel seat to host the show from the dance floor.”
It comes after Ashley returned to Strictly over the weekend, for the iconic Blackpool show.
Strictly welcomed back Ashley, Danny Mac, Jay McGuiness and Layton Williams for one last routine.
Performing in the Blackpool Tower ballroom, the foursome opened the show and celebrated their biggest moments from their time on Strictly in an extravagant routine alongside the full cast of pro dancers.
Among the nods, Danny – who was runner-up on the 2016 series with Oti Mabuse – recreated his iconic shirt-ripping moment from a jaw-dropping samba, while Jay – who won the series in 2015 – brought back elements of his Pulp Fiction jive.
Layton, who reached the final in 2023, reunited with Nikita Kuzmin for a performance of his quickstep, while Ashley also started the routine with her jive to Shake Your Tail Feather from her time on the show in 2018.
But now fans are craving more – and are hoping the BBC will bring back more former competitors for an All Stars series in the future.
“A Strictly All Stars full series needs to be a thing!” wrote one fan.
“Can #Strictly please do ab all stars competition Loving this Omg Layton and Nikita,” said a second.
“yes sir they can boogie: we NEED an All Stars” said a third, while a fourth demanded: “give me an all stars season NOW!”
A fifth added a shake-up to the format if an All Stars went ahead, saying: “We need a Strictly All Stars immediately, no one goes home, we just see week on week of amazing performances and it’s based on scores per week accumulated over the series to give some kind of top 5 or something for the final.”
