Zoe Ball was left "devastated" after missing out on the presenting role for Strictly Come Dancing, according to her close friend and former dance partner Ian Waite. The TV star was among several well-known personalities who tried out to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman following their exits last year.
Having previously taken part in Strictly before presenting its sister programme, Strictly: It Takes Two, Ball was seen as a leading contender for the position. However, she was ultimately beaten to the post by Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe.
Ian Waite recalls learning of the snub
Speaking to Express.co.uk on behalf of BestBettingBonuses.co.uk, ex-Strictly professional Ian Waite said he was among the first to discover that Ball had not made the cut. He revealed: "Zoe is Strictly through and through, you know. Obviously, I worked with Zoe, I danced with Zoe on the show, and then we went on to do It Takes Two for 10 years together. So we're very close, and I just think that she would have been perfect for the job."
Waite suggested the decision may have been about moving forward: "I think maybe, you know, they were thinking, we have to move forward and have fresh blood in there rather than go back to [previous] hosts." He added: "But I love Zoe. You know, we're like brother and sister because we're so close in age as well, and I think very, very similar."
Ball's reaction and next steps
Waite noted that Ball told him the news before it was publicly announced: "And when she told me, she told me she didn't get the job before it was announced, so I kind of knew." He also recognised there had been "quite a few" candidates for the role, including Rylan Clark and Alison Hammond, and described the eventual trio as "interesting".
Ball has previously confessed she experienced "seven stages of grief and rejection" upon learning she had not secured the position. Speaking to Jo Whiley on their Dig It podcast before the new presenting line-up was announced, the 55-year-old said the show would be "in safe hands" and that the new hosts "are going to be fabulous". Despite missing out, she subsequently revealed she was joining Greatest Hits Radio after leaving BBC Radio 2.
Waite's current tour
Waite is currently on tour with Legends in Vegas: After Hours, performing alongside fellow former Strictly professionals Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev and Vincent Simone. Discussing audience reception, he commented: "Everybody seems to love it. I think we give something a little bit different than the current pros on Strictly. You know, we're competitors from years and years gone. I competed when Anton [Du Beke] was competing, so, you know, we go back a long, long way."
He added: "And there's a lot of characters in there and there's a lot of banter goes on, so it's not just the dancing. There's a lot more than that. There's a lot more camaraderie and that bond. It's quite nice, actually. It's lovely."
