Ellie Taylor has been announced as the new host of the Strictly Come Dancing spin-off series It Takes Two.

She will join what promises to be a totally revamped Strictly, which will return this year with three new hosts replacing outgoing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe are the trio who’ll be leading proceedings when the series returns to screens in September.

The announcement was made on Willis’s BBC Radio 2 show today (15 August).

Taylor previously served as a contestant on Strictly in 2022, partnered with Radebe, and placed eighth. She told Willis that the Strictly theme song has been ringing in her head ever since she was confirmed as the new presenter a month ago, but had been sworn to secrecy.

“I feel so thrilled to be back in the Strictly world,” she said. “It’s a dream come true.”

Taylor replaces Fleur East and Janette Manrara as It Takes Two’s presenter, amid rumours that the entire show will be revamped alongside the main Strictly series. According to unverified reports earlier this summer, the series will become a vodcast, meaning hosts will film episodes for viewers and also record them for podcast listeners.

Taylor appeared to confirm some of those changes, explaining that It Takes Two will be “the show that everyone knows and loves but refreshed for 2026”, adding: “We’re gonna be talking to couples but also groups of celeb [contestants] and groups of pros away from their dance partners, for slightly more candid conversation.”

“One thing that we’re really keen to have is more involvement from the viewers at home,” she continued. “You know when you have a WhatsApp chat and you’re gossiping about what’s going on with Strictly? We want it to feel like that. One big fat celebration of the wonderful world of Strictly.”

It comes after the show’s long-time presenter Fleur East expressed upset in May after she was turned down to present the main show. East competed on Strictly in 2022, before being recruited to host It Takes Two in 2023.

“I did say initially, after Tess and Claudia announced they were leaving Strictly, ‘you know, it’s probably not going to happen [for me] and I’m happy for whoever gets it’,” she said on her Hits Radio Breakfast Show.

She said Willis would be “great and amazing” for the show, but added: “I’ve kind of lied to myself that I’d be all right with not doing it or not being considered for the job, but I’m kind of bothered…”

She continued: “I think it’s okay to admit that. I think it’s okay to admit that being faced with the opportunity of such an incredible job… it’s an amazing show. I’ve not only had the privilege and pleasure of being on it, but then also hosting It Takes Two and being part of the family. It’s been an incredible job to be a part of. So, when you’re within touching distance of something like that, and even considering it for a minute, I never allowed myself to really go fully there, but I did think about it. I was like, that would be amazing.”

East presented It Takes Two alongside Manrara, and rumours surfaced in April that both had been dropped from the show. However, the BBC told The Independent last month: “It is factually incorrect to claim that either has been axed.”

Despite the denial, Manrara confirmed in June that she was no longer involved with It Takes Two, telling her YouTube followers: “Strictly is all I’ve known for the last 14 years, so it is a bit like, ‘Oh, we’re going into a different world, a different space, how are we going to navigate that?’”

She did, however, say she will “still be involved in other ways”, but didn’t specify what this would include.

The new series of Strictly – its 24th – will see celebrities including Delta Goodrem, Dani Dyer, Graeme Hall, Lawrence Robb, Tabby Stoecker and John Nellis take to the dancefloor. The full list of stars can be found here.

Speaking to The Independent this month, Goodrem said she had one simple request for her professional dance partner, who has yet to be confirmed – that he be taller than her.