‘Pure magic!’ Farewell Tess and Claudia, the power couple who were Strictly’s life and soul

For the past 21 years, there has been only one ever-present on Strictly Come Dancing. It’s not dancer-turned-judge Anton du Beke, who usually got knocked out of the contest early. It’s not the panel’s panto villain, Craig Revel Horwood, who might be the longest-serving judge but took sick leave after testing positive for Covid in 2021. It’s not even trusty band leader Dave Arch, who didn’t join until series four.

No, Strictly’s sole permanent fixture is Tess Daly. She took a few weeks maternity leave in autumn 2004 after giving birth to eldest daughter Phoebe but since then, the glitterball stalwart hasn’t missed a show, clocking up in excess of 500 episodes. It’s an astonishingly resilient record. Daly has been the linchpin of the ballroom behemoth since the very start. And now that she and co-host Claudia Winkleman have stepped down, it is truly the end of a TV era.

The pair signed off from live shows with last Saturday’s grand final. Before former footballer Karen Carney and her professional partner Carlos Gu were crowned winners, a surprise video tribute to the departing presenters was played, featuring farewell messages from fans and famous faces including Dame Mary Berry. Revel Horwood read out a heartfelt telegram from “superfan” Queen Camilla, describing the duo as “utterly fab-u-lous” and “perhaps the greatest Strictly partnership of all”.

Their send-off concluded with the prerecorded Christmas special, in which goodbyes took a back seat to the festivities. However, both received Christmas gifts from the judges – aptly, a dance for Daly and a comedy skit for Winkleman – before a cathartic last danc