Sara Cox has defended the new Strictly Come Dancing hosting team after they faced a wave of criticism. The Radio 2 DJ, who was rejected during the audition process earlier this year, described the line-up change as a “big deal” and voiced her support for the trio.
Presenter Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe and dancer Johannes Radebe fronted the first live show at the weekend, taking over from Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly. While some viewers praised the group, others criticised Widdicombe’s presenting skills, claiming he kept “missing his cue” and looked like a “spare part”.
Cox praises the new team
Cox was among several TV personalities who tried out for the hosting role, alongside Zoe Ball, Angela Scanlon and Rylan Clark. Speaking to Heat magazine, she said: “I think it is really exciting and I love all three of them. Emma especially has done loads of live TV. That really is her happy place and she's brilliant at it.”
Asked if she had given advice to Willis, Widdicombe and Radebe, she added: “If you go to work and you're a brain surgeon, it's life or death. If you go to work and it's on the radio or on telly, it's just entertainment. Hopefully, you know no-one's going to die. They're a really good team and they're going to look after each other.”
Audition process revealed
Cox previously discussed the “cloak and dagger” Strictly audition process, admitting she had not really wanted the gig as she had just been announced as Scott Mills’ replacement for the Radio 2 breakfast slot. She said on her show: “Well, I was nervous cos I just got this gig [on Radio 2], so I thought, I can't... I don't really want that one as well. I'll be hospitalised! But I've still gotta go and have a go. It was like cosplay, like, being a Strictly presenter for a morning. It was great fun.”
Widdicombe under fire
Widdicombe has faced criticism this week after a series of apparent blunders during the live show on Saturday. After chatting with contestant Cach Mercer backstage, Radebe asked Widdicombe and Willis, “Who’s dancing now?” and cut to Widdicombe standing onstage in silence before realising it was his cue to speak. The same issue appeared to happen again during a different handover.
Widdicombe broke his silence after the backlash by re-sharing a round-up post from the official Strictly Instagram page. It was captioned, “Caught on camera from week one!” and featured a snap of him flashing a peace sign while posing backstage with Willis. The comments on the post were full of support for Widdicombe, with fans saying they were “saddened” by the “disgusting” backlash.
Willis later appeared to hit out at “judgy” people with her own pointed post on social media. The Voice presenter shared a snap of a pink canvas with blue writing that read: “You will get judged either way so may as well pick the fun option.”
