Amy Dowden delivered her verdict on the new hosts as she paid tribute to Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.11:01, 01 Jun 2026Amy Dowden has marked the start of a new era, as the new Strictly Come Dancing presenters were revealed.‌The Welsh dancer is returning to the beloved BBC competition after her major comeback last year.‌Amy was forced to miss out on Strictly due to her cancer treatment, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023.‌Last year, she was partnered with controversial reality star Thomas Skinner, and the pair became the first couple voted out of Strictly.Now Amy is set to return alongside the likes of Dianne Buswell and Vito Coppola, after several professional dancers including Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez announced their exits from the series.‌As well as the rumoured ‘bloodbath’ affecting the professional line-up, Strictly has undergone another major shake-up, with Big Brother presenter Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe, and Strictly fan-favourite Johannes Radebe now taking over as hosts from Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.Commenting on the announcement and several pro-dancers leaving, Amy shared on Lorraine Kelly’s ITV programme today that it was the “start of a new era”.She had also teased Johannes continuing to dance, after fans were left devastated at the thought he wouldn’t return to the ballroom floor in his new role at host.‌She said: “I can’t imagine he won’t be dancing. Knowing Jo-Jo and his love for dance, I can’t see him not dancing! I obviously don’t know but it’s going to be all very exciting and the start of a new era.”Sharing her close bond with former hosts Claudia and Tess: “They were there for me since I joined the show and they were for me during all my treatment and everything as well.‌“I just think those two were massive fans of the show, they genuinely loved and watched… they were obsessed with it.”Amy elsewhere hinted at who she’s looking for as a celebrity partner in the upcoming series.Lorraine quipped: “Last year on Strictly, I was not amused and not happy because you were out first. Nothing to do with you and all to do with who you were teamed up with.‌“This year can they just give you a really hot soapstar boyband athlete that you can mould and really let fly.”Amy replied: “I’d love that. Have a word with them, Lorraine!”‌Talking about her return, she went on: “Being back after everything I’ve been through, that’s a win to me.“But I’d love to at least get to Blackpool, that would be lush!”Tess and Claudia announced they were quitting Strictly last year, saying their time on the show had been “an absolute dream” but it “feels like the right time” to leave.‌They wrote: “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.Article continues below“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 - who recently gained a Guinness World Record for the longest-serving host of the same dance competition TV show - began presenting Strictly from its inception in 2004, first with Sir Bruce Forsyth, and then with Claudia when she joined as a co-host in 2014.Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and iPlayer later this year.