Tess Daly attended the Affluenza press night at Riverside Studios on Monday alongside her daughter Phoebe and several former Strictly Come Dancing co-stars.
The television presenter, who quit fronting the BBC flagship ballroom dance competition last year after 21 years as host, was in high spirits as she caught up on the red carpet with former colleagues including Luba Mushtuk, Janette Manrara, Aljaž Škorjanec, Katya Jones and Alexis Warr.
Daly swapped her traditional glamorous live broadcast ball gowns for a black velour jumpsuit featuring a daring wrap neckline as she arrived at the West London venue. She wore a coordinated corset beneath the jumpsuit and elevated her height in a pair of black heeled boots.
The presenter accessorised her ensemble by layering several gold necklaces and carried her personal belongings in a black Chanel handbag. She smiled for photographers beside her lookalike daughter Phoebe, who turned heads in brown leather trousers and a suede jacket.
The mother and daughter were joined at the press night by a wide selection of stars connected to the BBC dance contest. Former It Takes Two spin-off host Janette Manrara arrived in a gold figure-hugging corset gown featuring ruched detailing on the side, posing alongside her husband and fellow professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec, who wore a pinstriped suit.
Former pro dancer Luba Mushtuk displayed her abs in a black crop top teamed with a matching blazer and trousers. Current Strictly professional dancers Katya Jones and Alexis Warr also made stylish appearances, with Warr wearing a strapless black top and Jones arriving in a navy catsuit with red heels.
Socialite Emma Thynn and British Olympian Aimee Fuller also made glamorous appearances at Riverside Studios, a historic arts and performance complex situated on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, West London. The evening marked a high-profile reunion for Daly with her former colleagues following her decision to leave the main show last year.
New presenting line-up finds its rhythm
Daly's red carpet appearance coincided with signs that the current series of Strictly Come Dancing has begun to find its stride following a shaky start. Presenters Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe had initially faced intense scrutiny after taking over hosting duties from Daly and her long-serving co-host Claudia Winkleman.
BBC executives had hoped the new presenting trio would deliver an immediate ratings boost when the long-running entertainment show returned two weeks ago. However, the initial broadcasts saw producers trial various host combinations across different segments of the show to mixed audience reaction.
Viewer sentiment shifted significantly during Sunday night's first elimination episode, when audience members praised the on-screen chemistry between Willis and Radebe as they co-presented the opening section of the broadcast for the first time. The pair opened the show together to review Saturday's routines with the judges.
Following the opening segment, Willis headed downstairs to the main studio floor to reveal the public voting results on her own. Comedian Widdicombe then took over upstairs in the balcony area, partnering with Radebe to chat with saved celebrities and their professional partners.
Fans back balcony role for Josh Widdicombe
Viewers took to social media platform X to express their approval of the revised hosting format, noting that Widdicombe appeared far less nervous and more confident when handling spontaneous interactions in the upstairs area.
Fans shared their reactions during the broadcast:
"Emma and Johannes presenting together this is much better it's not hard."
"This is the way the hosting needs to be split with emma downstairs as main host and josh and johannes upstairs."
"Oh Emma and Johannes together! they've realised that's how it should be."
"Surely the BBC can see that Emma and Johannes are great together tonight."
Audience members also highlighted Widdicombe's relaxed demeanor upstairs, pointing out that his background in comedy suited the unscripted green room environment:
"Now can we move Josh upstairs plz he works much better up their with Johannes."
"Dare I say Josh felt mare natural upstairs being a bit more off the cuff with the saved couples in the result show?"
"Emma is much better doing the results on her own while Josh & JoJo are upstairs chatting with the celebrities."
"Josh is better upstairs. Seems less nervous and more willing to ad-lib."
"I will say that Josh is so much better upstairs & I really think they should consider that. Reckon he'll settle into that part so much easier."
Chris Appleton eliminated in week two dance-off
The results show concluded with hair stylist Chris Appleton becoming the first celebrity contestant eliminated from the current series. The 43-year-old hairdresser, who hails from Leicester and has built a career styling major Hollywood celebrities, found himself in the bottom two following the combined total of judges' scores and viewer votes.
Appleton faced 41-year-old actress Jaime Winstone, the daughter of veteran actor Ray Winstone, in the mandatory dance-off. Appleton performed his cha-cha routine for a second time in an effort to convince the judges to keep him in the competition.
The judging panel voted unanimously to save Winstone, bringing Appleton's time on the show to an end and granting a relieved Winstone a place in next week's live broadcast.
