X Factor star who’s a ‘ratings winner’ is new favourite to host Strictly

Speculation remains rife over who will be taking over as Strictly Come Dancing hosts (Picture: PA)

A former X Factor star is being considered as one of the replacements for Tess Daly and Claudia Winkelman on Strictly Come Dancing.

He might have finished in fifth place on the ITV talent show back in 2012, but Rylan Clark is being touted for one of the BBC’s flagship programmes.

Towards the end of last year, the 37-year-old from Essex joked about ‘being cancelled’ on This Morning after his controversial comments about illegal immigration.

Now, however, BBC sources have claimed that Rylan has been invited to an audition where he will be paired with other potential hosts, including former Strictly contestant Angela Scanlon.

‘Rylan has a long-standing association with the show, and Angela has been a contestant,’ a source told the Daily Mail.

‘But the main thing is they’d be a totally new pairing – no baggage, no former shows, uniquely Strictly.

Rylan Clark is said to be a frontrunner for the position (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock) The former This Morning host could be paired alongside Angela Scanlon, who was a former competitor on Strictly (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

‘On top of that, they want to be sure that an all-female presenting line-up isn’t replaced by an old-fashioned male-female duo where the man takes on a dominant role. 

‘Rylan isn’t like that at all. Plus, he absolutely loves the show and the viewers already love him.’

The insider also added that Rylan would ‘bite the BBC’s hand off’ for what would be his ‘dream job’.

Previously, the presenter hosted the Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two between 2019 and 2023.

As well as that, he has presented on This Morning and has anchored Eurovision coverage for the BBC.

Earlier this week, Bill Bailey backed a legendary BBC star to take over as Strictly host.

Rylan won a Bafta for his series the Grand Tour with Rob Rinder (Picture: Dave Benett) Claudia and Tess’ last episode aired over Christmas (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)

Speaking to Metro, he said: ‘I think you have to be good at that whole technical idea of presenting. […] But you’ve got to keep a sense of fun, really.

‘You’ve got to sort of have a bit of tongue-in-cheek because it’s meant to be fun. It’s meant to be an entertainment show. I think Zoe Ball would do a great job. She’d be great, actually.’

This came after the three leading male candidates were revealed to be in the running as a new host.

Alongside Rylan, The Chase legend Bradley Walsh and current fan-favourite Strictly pro, Johannes Radebe could all potentially land the job.

Meanwhile, former It Takes Two host Zoe Ball and Alex Jones are also said to be in the running.

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