How Strictly’s Tess and Claudia became the nation’s sweethearts

“It is about chemistry and they have it in buckets,” says PR expert Mark Borkowski. “At the time, we all thought Strictly was about Bruce – but as soon as Claudia arrived, she showed what a talented double act they were.” It worked because Winkleman tended to play for laughs and allowed the more autocue-dependent Daly to flourish as her “straight man” – but also because there was genuine affection between them, and neither was trying to steal the limelight. “They just didn’t project ego in the way men do and the audience warmed to that,” says Borkowski.

“It really was a radical move,” says Borkowski. “The BBC was under pressure to elevate more women to powerful roles and there was a strong female audience for Strictly, but still, it would have taken some institutional nerve to actually do it. I think the reason that they could pull it off was that there was the feeling that we had had enough of laddish chaos and it was absolutely true: they brought feminine serenity to the format – and pairing funny, clever Claudia with the smoothness of Tess was a brilliant move.”

“With time, Claudia and Tess started to really grow and develop the show,” adds Borkowski. “Their skill lies in the fact they are not omnipresent and aren’t irritating, and as a result, let the show evolve. Tess is very human and calm, is never flustered, and Claudia is her perfect foil: she has the humour and the insight and is incredibly authentic, and they have nurtured the sort of relationship that is rare in television.”

Even so, knowing she would be fronting the Scottish whodunnit didn’t stop the nation from mourning when the two women announced that this would be their last season on Strictly. “Claudia and Tess knew the format was struggling and had been wracked with the sort of scandals which would ultimately affect their brand, so nobody was surprised,” says Borkowski. “Claudia is the most successful star on television at the moment – The Traitors is a hell of a thing – and Tess couldn’t stay if Claudia went, so it had to end. But it has been delightful to watch and will be a very hard act to follow.” That it certainly will be.

How Strictly’s Tess and Claudia became the nation’s sweethearts