Former Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman was seen enjoying a relaxed, work-free weekend shopping in London's Notting Hill, coinciding with the launch of the BBC show's new series. The outing occurred as the revamped lineup for Strictly reportedly failed to deliver a significant ratings boost for the BBC.
Winkleman, 54, appeared carefree during her low-key shopping trip with her half-brother, Oliver Lloyd. She opted for a more casual appearance, trading her usual glamorous ensembles for a brown jacket, slouchy jeans, and chunky black boots. Winkleman and Lloyd share the same mother, author Eve Pollard.
The BBC's gamble on a new format and hosting team for Strictly Come Dancing appears to have yielded mixed results in its initial broadcast. The pre-recorded launch show on Saturday attracted a peak of 5.8 million viewers, a slight increase from last year's peak of 5.6 million. However, the average viewership for the episode was 5.3 million, a decrease from the 5.4 million average in 2025.
These figures remain considerably lower than those recorded in previous years, before the show faced controversies related to the treatment of contestants and behind-the-scenes culture, which led to the departure of professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima and prompted the BBC to implement stricter welfare measures. In 2023, the Strictly launch show peaked at 6.7 million viewers and averaged 6.3 million.
BBC bosses had hoped that the new hosting lineup, featuring Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe, would help attract lapsed viewers back to the program. The current figures suggest this has not yet materialized significantly. The new presenting trio has taken over from Tess Daly and Winkleman, who departed the show at the end of the 2025 series.
Early viewer reactions on social media indicated praise for Emma Willis, but some viewers expressed reservations about the three-presenter format, describing it as potentially "awkward and forced." Josh Widdicombe also faced some criticism, with some viewers suggesting he appeared out of his depth.
In a tactical scheduling move, ITV's The Voice began slightly earlier at 6:10 p.m. to avoid a direct clash with the Strictly launch, which started at 7:25 p.m. Despite this adjustment, The Voice, which Willis also hosts, garnered a peak of two million viewers and an average of 1.6 million, a decrease from the previous week. Willis's involvement in both shows meant she was indirectly competing with herself, drawing a combined audience of approximately seven million viewers across the two programs on Saturday.