Former Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse has reacted to yesterday's shocking announcement that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman were quitting the BBC dance show at the end of the current series, saying it "came out of nowhere".
Sharing a joint post on Instagram yesterday morning, the hosts confirmed that they would be stepping down from their Strictly hosting duties at the end of this series, saying that "now feels like the right time".
Appearing on Loose Women on Thursday morning, Oti reacted to the breaking news while talking to Jane Moore, Nadia Sawalha, Olivia Attwood, and Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood.
Describing their exit as the "end of an era", Oti said they had to redo her makeup ahead of her panel appearance because she had been crying.
"They had to redo my makeup because I actually started crying," she said while becoming visibly emotional.
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"I think as someone who loves the show and has been a part of it, Claudia and Tess have been the queens - two women side by side, just really defending each other and protecting each other," she continued.
On what it was like to work with the hosting duo, Oti added: "They care, when they know you, they check on you, 'How's your child? How's your husband? How's your family?' and this feels like an end of an era for me."
"They are my Saturday night, they are the mums that take care of us, they lead the show so impeccably well, and I think it's a shame. It came out of nowhere," she said.
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On discussing the news with her sister Motsi, who currently serves as a judge on the show, Oti said she phoned her sister, who was equally as shocked.
She said: "We had two minutes of just silence, just both of us in shock because it came out of nowhere. I wish them luck. It breaks my heart because I absolutely love them and I think they made the show. I just wish them luck and I wish them the best."
Multiple stars have reacted to the surprising news, including judge Craig, who joined Oti on the panel, saying: "I was shocked, and surprised. I was saddened. I really loved them."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
