Itâs now ten years since Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman hosted the first season of Strictly Come Dancing together.
First fronting the beloved BBC series in 2014, they were paired following the departure of Bruce Forsyth, who had co-hosted with Tess since the show aired in 2004.
The audience is drawn to both presenters and on the screen, they also become strong friends.
This is despite claims that the pair are âbelittlingâ each other, with some commentators suggesting there was a âfeudâ going on.
However, over the years, Tess, 55, and Claudia, 52, have made it clear how they get along.
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Before we see it again on the screen, with the first live show of 20Th The anniversary season is kicking off tonight, hereâs everything we know about the friendship between the two Strictly mainstays.
How did Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly meet?
When Tess first started on Strictly which aired 20 years ago today, Claudia gained public recognition presenting the spin-off series, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, also from 2004.
When asked the details of their first meeting, Claudia once recalled: âIt must have been on It Takes Two a hundred years ago. Tess only has one little girl Phoebe and we immediately started talking about children â Tess loves her children so much! And so beautiful!â
However, Tess revealed that they had met years before.
âWe met a local chemist about 11 years ago. It was his first trip out with his new baby Jake and he was struggling to negotiate the buggy. I held the door for him and we had a little chat,â he told the Radio Times in 2015.
When did they start working together?
In 2010, Claudia co-hosted the Sunday night results of Strictly Come Dancing, presenting alongside Tess.
Four years later, his role expanded to lead the show.
Tess once told the Express that presenting the show with Claudia was not like work and was âan extension of our friendshipâ.
âIt always feels natural and right (to work with him) and, when you really bond with someone, itâs a pleasure to be standing next to him on the floor,â he said.
What have they said about each other?
The pair made history ten years ago when they were announced as the first female presenting duo on primetime TV.
Ahead of the first episode of Strictly hitting the screen, Tess spoke about the significance of the casting.
âI get it â two women hosting the biggest show on TV! And in our 40s⊠Surprise, surprise, weâre not past our sell-by date,â he quipped.
âItâs a huge compliment that the BBC has broken the traditional male/female hosting format, and all credit to them for being the first to do it,â he added.
Although Tess admits she will miss working with Bruce, she is very happy working with Claudia.
âAfter 10 years itâs a big change. But hand in heart, we had a blast! Claudia was very happy. She is a career woman but, like me, a mother first and foremost. Heâs incredibly talented and what he says off the cuff is hysterical,â she shared.
The following year, Claudia gave insight into their friendship and relationship, announcing that they would eat McDonaldâs on the floor of the dressing room together after filming wrapped.
âEverything was great for everyone else, but after the show was over Tess and I sat on the floor sipping Maltesers and eating McDonaldâs,â he told the Radio Times.
Speaking about her relationship with her co-host, she also killed off speculation that it could be strained once the cameras stop rolling.
âTess and I are progressing well. I always think the viewer knows what is real and what is not. Fakery and nonsense can be spotted from a mile away,â he explained.
When Strictly aired at the end of the year, each weekend the pair also shared photos together backstage before each episode.
Strictly Come Dancing continues tonight at 7pm on BBC One.
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