James Jordan backs Vernon Kay to take over Strictly role from wife Tess Daly

Former Strictly Come Dancing star James Jordan has suggested Tess Daly’s husband Vernon Kay could be a good choice to take over her hosting job.

Daly and Claudia Winkleman signed off from presenting the live show in the final episode of the series on Saturday night, which was won by former Lioness Karen Carney.

Their last appearance as hosts will be in the pre-recorded Christmas special on Christmas Day.

Jordan, who appeared as a professional on Strictly Come Dancing from 2006 to 2013, said he thinks Daly’s husband, Radio 2 broadcaster Kay, could be a good choice as her successor.

He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I’d love to see Zoe Ball be part of it. I think she’s amazing.

“I worked with her for many years, she did It Takes Two back in our day. She’s fantastic.

“I like people like Bradley Walsh and I even threw into the mix Vernon Kay, that would be quite interesting, because I think he’s a brilliant presenter, and taking over from Tess would be quite nice.”

Jordan added that he is confident the show will continue to thrive even after the departure of the long-serving hosts.

The duo announced in October that they would be leaving the BBC dancing competition after more than a decade co-hosting the main show together.

Daly, 56, presented the series alongside the late Sir Bruce Forsyth when it launched in 2004, while Winkleman, 53, fronted its weekday companion show, It Takes Two.

Winkleman eventually moved on to host the Sunday night results show alongside Daly and joined the main show every Saturday from 2014, after Sir Bruce stepped down.

Jordan said: “They’re lovely human beings, always very warm, always very kind, and they worked brilliantly well together and it is a shame.

“However, when Brucey left, the show still continued. When they leave, the show’s still going to continue.

“It is very sad, and I think they’re brilliant, and I’m gutted they’re going but the show’s such a juggernaut.

“You have your hardcore Strictly fans that will continue to watch it no matter who is hosting. So I just hope they pick the right person for the job.”

The dancer said he hopes the change in presenters also prompts some other tweaks to the format.

He said: “I do think there needs to be some changes. I think it needs to go back a little bit.

“This is just my personal opinion. Since I left the show, I became a bit of a super fan. So I love watching it, I do a blog on it every week, but I think it’s lost a little bit of its authenticity, like with the VTs and things like that.

“I want to see actuality. I want to see how they’re getting on in the training room, learning routines and things like that, rather than going to a pub and talking about things, or going to a fair and going on a roller coaster, because it’s going to get them over the fear of their waltz.”

Jordan also came to the defence of Strictly finalist and West End star Amber Davies, who was criticised for taking part in the show despite her dance training background, and pointed out that Carney also trained as a competitive street dancer as a child.

Discussing Carney and her professional partner, Carlos Gu, he said: “I think they were brilliant. I loved them. I was so happy for Carlos that they won.

“But please don’t think that you can be that good and not be a trained dancer, because when she came out week one, do you remember the double spin in the air and landed it. None of us can do that, so I’m just putting it into perspective.

“I just feel that for me, Strictly is supposed to be about taking someone that’s a non-trained dancer and watching them go through the journey like, for example, George (Clarke, the social media star who also reached the final), for example.

“That’s why I wanted him to win. I’m not saying that I’m right, because the public are never wrong. But I just felt sorry for Amber, really, because she was getting such a hard time being trolled.

“She was a fully trained dancer, but she’s not going to say no to being asked to do the show.

“And I just felt really sorry for her, and it’s not like I’m saying I wanted Karen to be trolled, but she was also a trained dancer.”