Josh Widdicombe has been flooded with support following his first live stint in the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom as one of the show's three new hosts.
On Saturday (September 26), five million viewers tuned in to watch the 2026 run of the BBC One dance contest get underway as the latest batch of stars performed on the dancefloor with their professional partners live for the first time.
New presenting line-up
It also marked the first live show for new presenters Josh, Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe, who took over from Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, after they were seen at the helm for the first time during the pre-recorded launch show last weekend.
The competition got off to an impressive start, especially for social media star John Nellis, who topped the Strictly leaderboard on the first live show of the series. The Northern Irish football content creator and his partner, Katya Jones, wowed the judges with a foxtrot to Alex Warren’s Ordinary. The judging panel, made up of Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke, gave the couple 31 points out of a possible 40.
Fans show support
Week one was opened with a dazzling routine by the Strictly professionals to an orchestral version of Joy by Raye. Presenting trio Emma, Josh and Johannes joined the dance at the end of the routine before introducing the couples to the ballroom floor. Despite 15 couples taking to the dance floor with their first performances, all eyes continued to be on the new hosts, who split presenting responsibilities by Emma and Josh sticking by the judges' table, while Johannes joined the couples on the balcony ahead of the score reveal, the role previously occupied by Claudia.
There were plenty of comments about the new hosts flooding social media, with some suggesting it 'doesn't work' with three people, with only two having ever hosted the beloved programme before. However, as comedian Josh faced a lot of flak, and after he reshared some behind-the-scenes photos to his Instagram Story from the Strictly account, fans rushed to show their support.
@rachel_sharp_ said: "Love Josh! Thought he & Emma were fab together presenting." @amanda.s.wass commented: "Only tuning in because of Josh! Genuinely think he’s brilliant and such a great addition." @laurenrholden wrote: "@josh_widdicombe So proud of you, you are doing an AMAZING job."
@mskie shared: "WE [heart] YOU, @josh_widdicombe! I’m not a Strictly fan, but I’m a longtime one of Josh’s and I’m actually saddened/disgusted by a lot of the horrible comments about him on here. SPOILER ALERT: Josh’s smashing it!" @chapmanc27 posted: "Great to see @josh_widdicombe on Strictly this year. The only thing that tempted me back after a few years break!" @emma.maplethorpe added: "Loved Josh & Emma last night. In the swing of presenting as a duo by the end and lots of laughs."
Nerves before the show
It comes after Josh spoke of his nerves ahead of the first live show. According to Digital Spy, he said: "What could possibly go wrong? Loads of things, but let's not focus on them. I think it's going to be really, really fun. It's going to feel utterly surreal, just as terrifying as the first one. Will it ever stop being terrifying? I hope not, because hosting something like this should be the best kind of terrifying."
