TV PRESENTER Angela Scanlon has broken her silence on rumours that she’ll replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on Strictly Come Dancing.
Long-running presenters Tess and Claudia stunned the world when they revealed they would be leaving the programme for good in October.
It has seen a whole host of speculation as to who may replace them – and Angela’s name instantly became one to watch.
Many Strictly viewers have insisted that TV star Angela, who competed on the show in 2023, could be the next co-host, insisting she would be perfect for Claudia’s role of interviewing the celebrities after they receive the judges comments.
Now, Angela has shared her thoughts on the matter, telling The Sun that she’d certainly “take the call” if Strictly were to phone.
The 41-year-old said: “You know what, I am such a fan of the show and have been forever.
“I think Tess and Claudia are such an incredible pairing, and I’ve spoken about how I just remember being in Elstree many, many years ago when I did digital stuff for The Voice, and seeing them on the walls and kind of really feeling the significance of two women on the biggest show on telly.
“It has always been super inspiring to me, you know, and to be uttered in the same breath as them, and some of the other brilliant names that are in the mix, is just very flattering.”
Angela went on: “Claude and Tess have the most amazing dynamic, and that’s really important.
“So there’s, you know, lots of different things to play for, but I would certainly answer the call.”
Strictly fans seem super keen for Angela to bag the role and, after news of Tess and Claudia’s imminent departure broke, one person wrote on social media: “Angela Scanlon is the best and realistic candidate to take Claudia’s role running the Claudatorium.
“Naturally witty and charming with a long history of presenting BBC shows.”
Someone else echoed in agreement, as they said: “Really liked Angela since her turn on the Robot Wars reboot. She’d be good up in the Green room.”
Angela was partnered with Carlos Gu during her time on the hit show, and finished sixth.
Now, with the latest series nearing its end, Angela has shared her thoughts on who might bag the glitterball trophy this year.
Initially, she admits she wanted Vicky Pattison to win the show, with the pals hosting the Get A Grip podcast together.
But sadly, Vicky and Kai’s time on the show came to an end just before Blackpool, leading Angela to say: “Oh, it’s so tricky because obviously it was such a treat to have Vicky in there, and to have a horse to back, so to speak, is always amazing.
“For me, she was so brilliant and she was improving so much. I was gutted to see her go out, prematurely in my mind.
“Lewis and Katya are unbelievable, but for me, my winners are Carlos and Karen.”
Away from all things Strictly and telly, Angela has been preparing for Christmas by working with Homesense, who have released their Gift Shift campaign – a call to action encouraging the nation to share the load this Christmas.
A whopping six in ten Brits say they shoulder Christmas alone, with women carrying the majority of the festive workload, according to new research from Homesense.
Discussing her own Christmas traditions and the campaign, Angela told us: “We travel back to Ireland, so there’s like a lot of life admin and things that happen alongside prepping for the big man, and then there’s gift giving, and so I would definitely say I do the lion’s share of that, but I think then my husband steps up in the food department.
“So if there’s any entertaining happening, he’s quite into that, so I let him rip and then I dress the table with nice things.”
Angela had her second child, Marnie, now three, in 2022, and she also has Ruby, seven, with husband Roy Horgan, 43, who works in tech.
The family have a very busy Christmas Day, travelling across Ireland from Meath to Cork to spend time with Angela’s sister and then her husband’s family – a tradition they’ve had since getting married eleven years ago.
And the star, who said the worst gift she’s ever bought is an IOU note for a pair of glasses for her husband, says she won’t do “obscene levels of indulgence” for her kids at Christmas.
Angela shared: “I would say Santa is quite inconsistent in our household. They open presents with their cousins and there can be a bit of disparity, and so I have to kind of align myself and almost hide some stuff sometimes and then reintroduce later down the road.
“I’d say we’re quite measured and I have issues with people who go to obscene levels of indulgence at Christmas with gifting – it doesn’t feel right. It puts so much pressure financially on people and expectations.
“And then the kids go back to school and they’re like comparing notes and I just think it can be really emotionally difficult for parents to try and manage that stuff.”
Angela, working alongside Homesense, has created her own set of tips to help households collaborate more effectively over the festive period.
She said: “Christmas should be about connection, not perfection, but too often one person ends up doing it all while everyone else enjoys the day. I love that The Gift Shift encourages us to rethink how we celebrate and to share the joy, not just the workload.”
Customers can view the virtual gift guide at @homesense_ukie and visit a local Homesense store to enjoy saving up to 60% less every day on gifts for loved ones this Christmas.
