This Morning star Sian Welby has revealed she "burst out crying" after her two-and-a-half-hour audition to become the new host of Strictly Come Dancing.
The TV and radio presenter was among a number of famous names considered to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who stepped down from their long-running roles at the end of Strictly's 2025 series.
'Gruelling process'
Several stars have spoken about their attempts to land the job, including Zoe Ball, Rylan Clark and Clara Amfo. Now Sian has described the process as so "gruelling" that it left her in tears.
The Capital Breakfast host told OK! magazine: "It was mad. It was an absolute honour to be in the mix, but it was a gruelling process with no messing about. I left the audition, got in the 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. I really did want to show them I could do the job."
No memory of audition
She added: "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 barely had any memory of it. It was like being in shock."
While the 40-year-old did not get the job, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe announced as the new hosts in May before making their debut in the ballroom earlier this month, Sian was keen to show her support.
She said: "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." Emma could appear alongside Sian on the show one day, as she is open to the idea of going on Strictly as a contestant. "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.
