Kevin Clifton addresses Strictly Come Dancing host rumours

The professional dancer said his girlfriend Stacey Dooley would be an ‘amazing’ replacement for Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman

Kevin Clifton has said his girlfriend Stacey Dooley would be “amazing” as a host of Strictly Come Dancing.

The professional dancer met Dooley, a documentary makeron the 2018 series when they were paired up and won.

Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Clifton said his partner would be a worthy replacement to current hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who announced on Thursday that they are leaving the show at the end of the current series.

Host Ed Balls said the couple, who now share a daughter, Minnie, would be a “dream team”.

Clifton replied: “I don’t know about that. Stacey would be amazing. We’ve had no conversations about anything like that.”

Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton (Getty)

Discussing the departure of Daly and Winkleman with Balls and his co-host Charlotte Hawkins, Clifton said: “It’s the end of an era for them, and the start of the Ed and Charlotte era, isn’t it?”

Asked if he misses the show, Clifton said: “Not necessarily the workload, but I still love it.

“Me and Stacey are on the other side of it now, where we sit down like everyone else and watch it as fans.

“We’re obsessed with Strictly, we’ve become like super fans.”

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are stepping down from Strictly (PA)

Clifton said he is tipping former footballer Karen Carney and actress Alex Kingston to go far in the show, and also praised reality star Amber Davies as an “amazing dancer”.

Daly and Winkleman, who have fronted the series together since 2014, announced in a joint statement that they will be leaving the BBC One dancing show at the end of the series.

The pair’s last appearance together will be its festive special, airing on Christmas Day this year.

Daly, 56, presented the series since it first launched in 2004 alongside the late Sir Bruce Forsyth, while Winkleman, 53, fronted its weekday companion show, It Takes Two.

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Winkleman eventually moved on to host the Sunday night results show alongside Daly and joined the main show every Saturday from 2014, after Sir Bruce stepped down.