Zoe Ball quits Strictly Come Dancing’s sister show It Takes Two after 10 years

Zoe Ball has quit Strictly Come Dancing’s sister show It Takes Two after a decade at the helm.

The 50-year-old presenter explained her decision to walk away from the BBC programme ahead of the series returning, citing that she wants to focus on new challenges.

Breaking the news on her Instagram page, Zoe shared a number of pictures from behind the scenes.

‘Dance lovers, after 10 joyous years I am waltzing away from It Takes Two,’ Zoe penned.

‘As a massive @bbcstrictly fan I have loved spending my Autumn teatimes with the celebrity dancers, the gorgeous & awesome pro dancers, the judges, my girl Vicky Gill, Rylan, Gethin & of course my main man Ian Waite.

‘Time now for some new cha cha challenges.’

Zoe added that she can’t wait to watch the upcoming series of Strictly from the comfort of her own sofa, while sharing her gratitude to the team.

‘I will miss you all immensely,’ she concluded. ‘As Iveta would say “Friends for the life“ xx.’

A BBC Spokesperson said: ‘We’d like to thank Zoe for an amazing decade on It Takes Two, and she’ll always be part of the Strictly family. We will miss her sense of fun, passion for all things dance, and those amazing sequinned jumpers. 

‘We’ll announce plans for the show in due course.’

A number of Strictly stars expressed their sadness at seeing Zoe depart the show.

Clara Amfo, who appeared on Strictly last year, penned: ‘Zoe, The most warm and welcoming splits doing don! You do this job with such genuine joy and ease!

‘Thank you for always making ITT the sweetest addition to the experience!’

BBC Breakfast’s Dan Walker added: ‘Sad to see you go. You’ve been amazing.’

‘MY GOD,’ wrote Stacey Dooley. ‘A LEGEND IS LEAVIN THE BUILDING. 🥺💜💜💜💜💜The kindest woman in tele. We love you Zoeeeeeeee.’

Zoe appeared as a contestant in the third series of Strictly before going on to replace Claudia Winkleman as host on It Takes Two in 2011.

In 2019, it was announced that Rylan Clark-Neal would be joining the show as a co-host.

It Takes Two is expected to return to the BBC later this year.

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