Ellie Taylor, the newly announced host of Strictly It Takes Two, rushed her two-year-old son to A&E on the first night of a family holiday to the Sussex coast after he began struggling to breathe.
The 42-year-old comedian and actress had headed to the coast with her husband and their two children for a break before starting her new BBC role. She told Instagram followers the trip did not go as planned, revealing that as soon as the family arrived at their Airbnb, her toddler son "decided to upgrade his mild cough to full blown struggling-to-breathe-croup."
Ellie ended up making a "late night trip" to Chichester A&E with her son. She shared a barefaced selfie from the visit, joking: "I've been to A&E five times with this child and it's always when I'm serving make-up-free & knackered hag."
Her son was prescribed a course of steroids, and the pair were "home by midnight and determined to crack on and enjoy a few days on the beach after all the lovely sun we've had," Ellie wrote.
More Mishaps on the Sussex Coast
The next morning brought pouring rain, but Ellie said her son "seemed a little perkier so we thought we'd try out dinner. YAY!" The relief was short-lived. "But then obviously he fell over on the gravel on the way and cut his leg. Boo," she wrote.
Ellie shared a photo of herself in a blood-spattered pink t-shirt after carrying her son the rest of the way to the restaurant. "Here is me after being a human plaster for his hurty knee after I carried him the rest of the way," she wrote.
The meal itself was brief. "He wailed throughout the meal which lasted approximately 12mins," Ellie said. "Shortly after this I spilt my drink over my phone and said 'for f**ks sake' louder than is OK for a family restaurant."
Summing up the trip, Ellie wrote: "I'd say the hols was 46% endurance, 29% coughing and 13% saying 'we used to have such a nice life.'" She ended the post with a joke about motherhood, writing: "Are you even a mother if you haven't said the phrase 'Everyone's getting on my t*ts' at least once by the time the breakfast buffet opens."
New Role on Strictly It Takes Two
The holiday came just weeks after Ellie was confirmed as the new host of Strictly It Takes Two, the BBC's companion show to Strictly Come Dancing. She takes over from Fleur East and Janette Manrara as part of a wider shake-up of the flagship series.
Ellie, who was a contestant on Strictly in 2022, had been widely tipped for the role after the previous hosts were dropped earlier this month. Her appointment was revealed live on Radio 2 during new Strictly host Emma Willis's show, in what was billed as a "Strictly special."
Emma told listeners: "With me right now is the brand new host of It Takes Two! Mystery host of It Takes Two..." before revealing Ellie as the new presenter and saying she was "so glad they are in it together."
Ellie said: "I am over the moon! I feel giddy. So nice to get the secret out. I've had the theme tune in my head since I found out... I was like 'stop it woman!' It was the same when I found out I was a contestant. I am so thrilled to be back in the Strictly world. I found out a month ago, but I've been a good girl. I told mummy and my partner. I didn't tell the kids."
In a statement, Ellie said: "What a total joy to return to Strictly in this new role. I feel incredibly honoured to follow in the footsteps of the phenomenal line-up of hosts who've made Strictly: It Takes Two so loved over the years. I can't wait to immerse myself in all the gossip and sequins flying out of the ballroom in order to bring my fellow Strictly fans everything they need to know. I'm so excited, I could cha cha! (But I won't, don't worry… no one needs to see that again.)"
Strictly's Major 2026 Shake-up
Ellie's appointment forms part of a huge overhaul of Strictly Come Dancing ahead of the 2026 series. Long-time presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have been replaced by Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe and professional dancer Johannes Radebe, while several professional dancers have also been dropped from the show.
