Alan Carr rules himself out of Strictly Come Dancing presenting job with hilarious explanation

Hosting Strictly Come Dancing would be a dream job for many TV stars – but comedian Alan Carr has ruled himself out of presenting the show.

Bosses are currently on the hunt for two new Strictly hosts after longtime presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down from the programme at the end of the 2025 series.

Following his huge success on The Celebrity Traitors last year, plenty of fans named Carr as their pick for one of the posts, but the 49-year-old has explained why he wouldn’t be the right choice.

Speaking at a press event for his new Channel 4 programme Secret Genius, Carr admitted: “I just think I like watching [Strictly], I don’t love it.”

Adding that he thinks the presenting job “would be better for someone who really, really loves” the dance programme, Carr revealed he has previously been asked to take part as a contestant.

open image in gallery

As reported by the Daily Mail, he continued: “That show is so adored and so loved. You want someone in there who’s like, ‘Yeah, this Paso Doble was…’. I don’t give a s**t. Give it to someone else, yeah.”

While Carr has taken himself out of the conversation, one famous face has thrown their hat in the ring. One of the frontrunners is former It Takes Two host Zoe Ball, who said in an interview earlier this month: "Obviously, there’s a part of me that would love to do it.”

As well as hosting the spin-off show for a decade, Ball made it to the final when she competed on Strictly in 2005. She also has experience of hosting the live shows, having stepped in to temporarily replace Winkleman for three weeks in 2014.

open image in gallery

Other stars rumoured to be in the running include Paddy McGuinness, current It Takes Two hosts Fleur East and Janette Manrara, and Strictly 2018 winner Stacey Dooley. Strictly 2025 contestant La Voix has also voiced a desire to be considered for the coveted role.

While the BBC is yet to confirm when the new hosts will be announced, Ball’s father, Johnny, claimed in December that a decision will be made in the spring.

He said of his daughter: “I think she would love it, I think she would love the job because she took over from Claudia on It Takes Two, and if anything, she did a better job than Claudia.”