Strictly Come Dancing champion Carlos Gu has summed up Claudia Winkleman in three words as he ruled out a move into hosting the show.
Claudia and Tess Daly stepped back from the show after the most recent series came to an end last December – with speculation continuing to grow about who will be lined up to replace them.
Now last year’s professional champion Carlos, who soared to victory alongside footballer Karen Carney, has shared his thoughts on the former hosts on Best magazine’s Suddenly Single podcast.
‘Very witty, very cool,’ Carlos said of Claudia, adding: ‘I love Claudia, and Tess. Both of them are just iconic. I’m obsessed about Claudia too personally, love her.’
Carlos added: ‘She’s a woman knows know her value, and she knows everything about herself and she’s so confident with it, which is so powerful, like Tess is too.’
When asked if he’d ever consider taking over as host, Carlos quickly dismissed it – saying he was born to be a performer.
Strictly Come Dancing champion Carlos Gu has summed up Claudia Winkleman in three words as he ruled out a move into hosting the show
Claudia and Tess Daly stepped back from the show after the most recent series came to an end last December – with speculation continuing to grow about who will be lined up to replace them
He said: ‘No, never, because I don’t think… I think I’m a born performer. I would die on stage. I’m that kind of person.
‘I don’t believe I could ever be a presenter. I don’t think it would bring the best out of me.
‘Because I purely believe that I’m a performer, I should perform on stage and live and just perform until the day I die.
Last week Strictly bosses are reportedly eyeing a new male co-host as part of a refreshed presenting trio – with three big names now in the frame to replace Tess and Claudia.
Producers are said to be keen to introduce a male presenter who could follow in the footsteps of Bruce Forsyth, returning to a format that features a male and female main host.
The shortlist has reportedly been narrowed down to television favourites Bradley Walsh and Rylan Clark, alongside current pro dancer Johannes Radebe.
Sources claim producers behind Strictly Come Dancing are planning to screen test their preferred candidates in the coming weeks.
The successful presenter would reportedly front the BBC One show alongside a female host.
Now last year’s professional champion Carlos has shared his thoughts on the former hosts on Best magazine’s Suddenly Single podcast
Carlos soared to victory alongside footballer Karen Carney during last year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing
A source told The Sun: ‘The intention would be to team the chosen man up with a female.
‘The show’s executive producers feel Bradley has a similar style to Bruce — he can tell jokes, sing and has lots of charisma. Rylan has a massive fanbase and used to host Strictly spin-off It Takes Two, while Johannes offers expertise.’
The Daily Mail contacted the BBC for comment at the time.
It was recently reported that Emma Willis and Zoe Ball are also strongly being considered for one of the hosting spots by bosses.
Emma, 49, recently took over from Zoe, 55, on BBC Radio 2 after she stepped down from the afternoon slot after just seven months.
Zoe has said she would ‘love’ to take on the hosting job, who previously hosted Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two until 2021.
A source said: ‘It’s a straight shoot-out between Zoe, who is the front-runner, and Emma. Only one will get it, not both.’
They added to The Sun on Sunday: ‘The senior execs want a traditional presenter working alongside a more left-field person, a female stand-up comedian.
‘It’s felt the humour Claudia brought to the show, particularly in her “Claudatorium”, needs to carry on.’