Craig Revel Horwood has revealed which star he would love to see take to the Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor. The TV judge, 61, made the admission back in 2015, but more than 11 years on, the presenter in question is yet to appear on the BBC show.
That star is Dermot O'Leary, 53, who currently presents This Morning and previously hosted The X Factor. Speaking to the Mirror at the time, Craig said: "Now we can get Dermot, I'd love to see him dance on Strictly. I've heard that he might be quite good actually."
Dermot's past admission
However, it seems Dermot is no closer to signing up for Strictly than he was more than a decade ago, having previously admitted that the show isn't something he wants to take part in.
The subject came up when Dermot appeared on Good Morning Britain in 2023 to discuss his children's book, Wings Of Glory. Ben Shephard, who hosted the ITV programme at the time, asked: "The call for Strictly, does it come in every year?"
Dermot quickly replied: "No, never," before confessing: "It's come in once." Pushing further, Ben was keen to know when Dermot had been approached to appear on Strictly. "Once, when was that? This year?" he asked.
Lunch meeting and loyalty
Dermot revealed he received the call-up a few years prior, recalling: "I took lunch with them because a few of my mates work on the show, who I respect greatly and I think they're brilliant." Ben quipped: "So you let them buy you lunch and then said no?"
"I offered!" Dermot laughed. "I love the show, but I just don't want to do it."
When Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced they were stepping down from Strictly, Dermot was among the presenters rumoured to take over. However, Dermot was quick to dismiss the speculation during an appearance on Ireland's The Six O'Clock Show in 2025, citing his long-standing loyalty to The X Factor.
The presenter also confirmed that he had not been approached by BBC executives about the role, telling hosts Brian Dowling and Katja Mia: "You know, being an X Factor kid, that's like Julia Roberts in Sleeping With The Enemy." Brian commented: "Simon Cowell would not allow that!" Dermot agreed, adding: "Even though the show's not on TV anymore, he'd still hunt me down!"
