Strictly Chris McCausland's three-word response as he addresses replacing Tess and Claudia

Chris McCausland has shared his thoughts on the possibility of stepping in as the new host of Strictly Come Dancing. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman shocked the nation when they announced they would be stepping down from presenting the show at the end of the current series. Tess, 56, has been a fixture on Strictly since 2004, initially co-presenting alongside the late Bruce Forsyth until 2014. Meanwhile, Claudia, 53, began hosting It Takes Two in 2004 before taking over the results show in 2010. Since Bruce's departure, Tess and Claudia have co-hosted the main show, becoming one of the BBC's most iconic presenting duos.

Speculation has been mounting over who could step into the role, with Bradley Walsh, Alex Jones, Zoe Ball, Rylan Clark and Holly Willoughby all in the running. The subject came up between Chris and Dianne Buswell, who were crowned winners of Strictly in 2024.

Speaking on their podcast, Winning Isn't Everything, Dianne, 36, quizzed her former partner on whether he would accept the gig if he were offered it.

The Australian dancer posed the scenario: "If they said to you, 'Chris, we would love you to be the new Claud. However we can't do this double act thing, so you're not going to have to do it with somebody else.

Dianne then playfully gave Chris three choices: "Say yes straight away, fight for your right to be with the right person, which is me, or would you decline?"

"In a heartbeat," he admitted. "I'd take the job."

Chris promised to give Dianne a special mention after she reminded him that she would not be able to present the show with him.

"I would refuse to go up to the Chrisitorium every week when I'm dancing then," Dianne joked.

After more than a decade co-hosting Strictly, Tess and Claudia said they felt the time was right to step down, revealing they had always intended to leave the show together.

Alongside a video shared on Instagram, the duo penned: "We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together, and now feels like the right time.

"We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series, and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show. They're the most brilliant team and we'll miss them every day.

"We will cry when we say the last 'keep dancing', but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza. Tess & Claud."