Denise Van Outen was almost the host of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ instead of Tess Daly. The ‘Celebrity Gogglebox’ star opted not to host the BBC One Latin and ballroom competition after her late pal Sir Bruce Forsyth - who hosted the show until 2015 before being replaced by Claudia Winkleman, and passed away in 2017 - recommended her for the job.
The 48-year-old West End star told 'The Matt Haycox Show' podcast: “When they first came up with the idea, I was offered 'Strictly Come Dancing'. “I knew Bruce Forsyth really well.
And I've done a few shows with him. We used to sing together. “He [Bruce] came to me and approached me to be sidekick in the new 'Strictly Come Dancing'. “He said to me, ‘There's this show, it's all ballroom, it's gonna be celebrities’.
And he said, 'I want to open the show with a song and dance with you, and close it with you,' because he knew that I danced and sang. “I remember sitting there and I went to him, ‘Bruce, it sounds really boring!’ “So, they gave it to Tess Daly.
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