“Pure magic!” Goodbye Tess and Claudia, the power couple who were the life and soul of Strictly | Strictly Come Dancing

FOr in the last 21 years, there has only been one person ever present on Strictly Come Dancing. It’s not dancer-turned-judge Anton de Beke, who is usually eliminated from the competition early. It’s not the panel’s villain, Craig Revel Horwood, who may be the longest-serving judge but took sick leave after testing positive for Covid in 2021. It’s not even trusted bandleader Dave Arch, who didn’t join until series four.

No, the only regular Strictly player is Tess Daly. She took a few weeks of maternity leave in the fall of 2004 after giving birth to her eldest daughter, Phoebe, but since then, the breakout star hasn’t missed a single show, logging over 500 episodes. It’s a surprisingly flexible record. Daly has been the backbone of the giant dance floor since the beginning. And now that she and co-host Claudia Winkleman have resigned, this truly is the end of the era of television.

The duo exited the live shows with the grand final last Saturday. Before former footballer Karen Carney and her professional partner Carlos Go were crowned the winners, a surprise video was played to honor the departing presenters, featuring farewell messages from fans and famous faces including Dame Mary Berry. Revel Horwood read a heartfelt telegram from “super fan” Queen Camilla, describing the pair as “absolutely gorgeous” and “possibly the greatest Strictly partnership ever”.

Their farewell concluded with a pre-recorded Christmas special, in which farewells took a back seat to the celebrations. However, they both received Christmas gifts from the judges – appropriately, a dance by Dalí and a comedy skit by Winckelmann – before a final, soothing dance as the camera lingered on the duo’s tearful embrace. “It’s our last time,” Daly said. “So let’s make it count. Keep dancing!”

With 23 series under her illustrious belt, Daly, 56, was the beating heart of the BBC Hoof Competition. Along the way, she interviewed 324 celebrity celebrity couples and polled 13 judges. Throughout it all, she kept the show together and her presence was reassuringly familiar. Viewers may not appreciate how important she is until she’s gone.

Dali formed two successful double acts. Along with Bruce Forsyth, she helped establish Strictly as a prime-time hit. It’s hard to imagine now that it has become a much-loved fall fixture, but bringing ballroom dancing back to the television schedules was a big gamble for the company in the early 2000s. Daly was an essential part of the show’s success.

Her father, textile factory worker Vivian, died of emphysema a year before she got the Strictly job. “My father loved ballroom dancing,” she said. “He got me into this when I was a kid. It’s great to think I did something that would have made him so proud.”

When Forsyth hung up his dancing boots a decade later, Daly formed a groundbreaking dual act with Winkleman — the first female presenting duo ever on a Saturday night television show. It’s a testament to Daly’s skill that the show doesn’t skip a beat while transitioning from Brucie to Winkle. She’s gone from longtime sidekick to senior partner but she makes it look easy, thanks in part to the women’s off-screen bond.

“We’ve been friends for years, texting and teasing each other forever,” Daly said. “We’re in and out of each other’s dressing rooms, messing with each other’s clothes rails. I pinched her Haribo while I was there.” For many years, the screensaver on Daly’s phone was a photo of Winkelmann after she had overdone the fake tan. Daly said it made her laugh every time she looked at it.

“Tess had to be a bit of a chameleon,” says Sarah James, Strictly’s long-time executive producer. “To be friends with Bruce and stick with someone with so much experience was incredibly impressive. When he left, Tess and Claudia found their groove very quickly. Their different personalities worked well together and bounced off each other brilliantly. When you think of duos on TV, there’s Ant and Dec – but they’ve known each other since childhood. Forming a duo so quickly as adults is extraordinary.”

Winkleman has high praise for how Daly helped her settle down. “I was absolutely terrified,” she recalls. “I was so scared before the show, I was just clinging to her. Tess would tell me she had my back, and that’s how it was from day one. She wants everyone to feel comfortable, happy and safe. If one of us was sick, worried about our kids or had a dress that didn’t look right, we looked after each other. She’s my lifeline and I really hope I can be hers.”

The long-limbed fashionista has had an epic stint herself. Winkleman hosted the BBC Two companion series Strictly: It Takes Two for six years before she was promoted to the Sunday night results show in 2010, and then finally the main live show in 2014. She has been almost as much a part of the Strictly family as Daly. The couple has stood shoulder to shoulder for 15 years.

Winkleman is a brilliant broadcaster – smart, spontaneous, free and witty. It’s the one that won a BAFTA and has won awards elsewhere. She has made The Traitors another exciting BBC property and is said to be in advanced talks about her own chat show. By contrast, Dali’s strengths are often underestimated. Beneath the soft facade, it’s full of heart and humor. You don’t run a leading live-action franchise for 21 years without actually being very good at it.

“Strictly is one of the last big live shows still going,” says James. “Sometimes we’re on air for two-and-a-half hours. A lot can go wrong. It can’t be understated how difficult Tess’s role is. She keeps everything flowing smoothly. She ensures the judges have their say, keeping to the set time. On top of that, she’s very warm and supportive of the celebrities. Being a mother and a real caring soul, she excels at that. She’s also reliable with the judges, which is no mean feat.”

Escapist entertainment is not easy to do. “Tess is the absolute anchor of Strictly,” says Winkleman. “We couldn’t do it without her. My role is easy. I have a group of amazing dancers around me in the balcony. Tess has to command the whole floor below and do it with complete magic. She leads the show, but she never makes it about herself. It’s always about our couples.”

“What people don’t see on TV is how much is spent on emergency planning,” says James. “We rehearse how to handle it if something goes wrong. A lot of that falls on Tess’s shoulders. If a dance goes wrong, or the group or band isn’t ready to start the next number, it’s generally up to Tess to steer the ship. Thanks to her, viewers won’t even realize that anything has gone wrong. She’s great at responding in the moment. On live TV, anything can happen. Bruno [Tonioli, former judge] Someone might fall out of their chair and swear. All you have to do is use ad lib and keep moving.” “She’s constantly saving the day,” Winkelmann adds. “She’s very calm and refined for live TV. No matter what, Tess makes it work. “It’s pure magic.”

Daly is also a figurehead behind the scenes. “Her investment in the show is the thing that probably makes Tess the most special,” says James. “She loves and cares for Strictly as much as we all do. I know it’s a cliché but there really is a Strictly family and Tess is the matriarch. She looks after us all, making sure we’re fed, watered and happy. Having had her own two children while working at Strictly, Tess has always been a champion for working mums too.”

The duo comes as a package. Revell Horwood calls them a “power couple.” When they made the shock departure announcement in October, they did so together on Instagram. They prefer to carry out joint promotional missions, rather than flying solo. Both were recently awarded an OBE for services to broadcasting. Since women in the public eye are often pitted against each other by the media, their sincere friendship is a joy to behold. There was no hint of anything but affection between them. This fuels their on-screen chemistry. “We’ve been through a lot together and I really value our friendship. I love her so much,” Winkleman says.

Daly is getting a rough ride from some quarters. Venture onto social media during Strictly and alongside rude comments about dresses, you might see Daly described as ‘The Tessbot’ or ‘RoboTess’. Such sniping fails to take into account the requirements of a live production installation with many moving parts. She’s usually reading the autokio, responding to sounds in her earpiece and reacting to the chaos around her, all at the same time. There is a whiff of misogyny in much of the criticism. “She was at the helm of the BBC’s longest-running entertainment programme, keeping it going for over 20 years,” says James. “Tess deserves a lot of credit.”

Most importantly, Daly is happy to laugh at herself. Her most embarrassing moment was “breastfeeding live on TV. Fortunately I was wearing black, so only I knew.” Since announcing his departure, Daly has looked visibly at ease on screen, happy with the layoff. She enjoyed playing with her teammates and is clearly enjoying her well-deserved victory lap.

Winkleman may make more headlines, but Dali is the force behind the sequin throne. As Strictly strives to recover from a series of scandals, the impending departure of its longtime anchors signals a period of seismic change. Not only does the BBC need to find suitable replacements, there are rumors of production being moved to Manchester, although the BBC has denied this. This is truly the end of the choreographic chapter.

The semi-final match saw them receive a surprise farewell. They were in tears watching the tribute videos and receiving their commemorative gold awards. It was appropriate to wave them off early. By self-effacing the mistake, the duo won’t want to steal the spotlight from the finalists.

The sight of Tess Daly under the starkly shiny ball has been a fixture in our living rooms for more than two decades. Expect an emotional ending. “We’ll cry and eat pizza and maybe have a drink,” Winkleman says. “But we’ll mainly laugh at how lucky we are to be part of the amazing Strictly Snowball. We’ll miss her dearly but will never lose touch with her. Tess is my friend for life. We’re both totally supportive of whoever takes over. I can’t wait to clap from my sofa with a giant bag of chips.”