This Morning presenter Siân Welby has revealed she auditioned to become a host of Strictly Come Dancing, describing the two-and-a-half-hour process as “mad” and “gruelling”.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, the 40-year-old, who co-hosts Capital Breakfast with Chris Stark and Jordan North, said she left the audition, got in her car and “burst out crying”.
“It was the adrenaline. I’d never concentrated so hard or wanted to impress so much. But it wasn’t my time,” she said.
‘An absolute honour to be in the mix’
Welby, who has been part of the This Morning family for more than two and a half years, said she “really did want to show them I could do the job”.
“But it was tough and I left going, ‘I don’t know if I’ve nailed that or if it was an absolute car crash.’ And afterwards, I almost had no memory of it. It was like being in shock,” she added.
Despite missing out on the role, which went to Emma Willis alongside co-hosts Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe, Welby had nothing but praise for the new host.
“Emma is brilliant. I can’t say a bad word about her. We don’t know each other deeply, but every time I see her, she seems lovely,” she said.
Turning 40 and parenting chaos
Welby, who celebrated her 40th birthday earlier this month, admitted that in the looks-obsessed world of showbiz, 40 “does feel old”.
“I know people who have created fake ages and it feels so terrifying. You have these fears, but I know who I am. I can’t pretend it’s not happening,” she said.
She said she has never been tempted by Botox and rubbished the idea that a woman must constantly chase her youth. “You can do whatever you want, surgery or whatever, but you don’t have to,” she said.
Welby, who shares two-year-old daughter Ruby with her fiancé, radio producer Jake Beckett, said having a child has changed her dynamic with her partner, who proposed during a sun-soaked Greek holiday in 2023.
“We bicker more, 100%. But we’ve never had a serious argument,” she admitted.
She also recalled a comical parenting moment when Ruby ruined her mum’s cream shorts with an epic “poonami”.
“I’m sipping sangria, I look down and there’s poo dripping down my leg. Like katsu curry. Those are humbling experiences,” she said.
Family and future hopes
Welby, whose father Ian was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2020, opened up about the guilt she feels over not being able to visit her parents as often as she would like.
“There is guilt that I’m not there all the time to help my mum,” she admitted, adding that she now visits her parents once every six weeks.
“Before, I’d take the train home every Wednesday. It was a mission, but I’d do it. It’s so tough on Mum, but I can’t be doing those journeys now. It’s too much.”
Despite the challenges, Welby said Ruby has had a positive effect on her grandfather. “He comes to life and it’s gorgeous. She grounds him,” she said.
Looking to the future, Welby said she would happily join Strictly as a contestant one day. “I’d either be the person ‘on a journey’ or the ick, where people go, ‘Oh my God, seeing her dance is horrific,’” she laughed.
She would also consider appearing on I’m A Celebrity. “I know people who’ve done it and I know it’s hard, but what appeals to me is the friendships made, the stories shared,” she said.
Right now, though, she wouldn’t want to be away from Ruby for too long. “I’m really happy with what I’ve got right now. I’d never have imagined the things I’ve done by 40, so I’m excited about what the future holds,” she said.
