Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu have addressed the major changes in the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing during an appearance on Good Morning Britain.
New presenters and dancers
The BBC competition is returning without Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly for the first time since Claudia took over from Bruce Forsyth in 2014. Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe are stepping into their roles.
Five new professional dancers have been announced: Aleksandra, Cristian, Lethabo, Maddie and Mark. They join the returning dancers after Gorka Marquez and Karen Hauer exited in what has been reported as a 'bloodbath'.
The shake-ups come after Strictly was thrown into crisis in recent years, with BBC investigations taking place and professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima being axed from the line-up following scandals.
'The format is not changing'
Despite the changes, fan-favourite Amy Dowden expressed excitement. Speaking to Kate Garraway and Adil Ray on Good Morning Britain, she said: “What we’ve got to remember is, the format of the show is not changing.”
She added: “I’m a fan of the show, I’ve grown up watching it so it’s so surreal to have been a part of it and I’m so proud to be a part of it whilst they’ve been introducing new presenters.”
Carlos Gu agreed: “Changes are great.”
'Start of a new era'
Amy previously appeared on ITV Lorraine and spoke about Johannes’ new role: “I can’t imagine he won’t be dancing. Knowing Jo-Jo and his love for dance, I can’t see him not dancing! … It’s going to be all very exciting and the start of a new era.”
She also shared her 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. I just think those two were massive fans of the show, they genuinely loved and watched… they were obsessed with it.”
Tess and Claudia announced their exit last year, saying in a statement: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. … now feels like the right time.”
