Craig Revel Horwood shares brutal verdict on Strictly Come Dancing host

Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has delivered a cheeky dig at Claudia Winkleman as she prepares to step down from presenting duties alongside Tess Daly.

The sharp-tongued dancing expert, renowned for his brutal critiques on the BBC contest, appeared on today's (Friday, 31st October) instalment of The One Show to discuss the forthcoming Halloween special.

Hosts Clara Amfo and JB Gill quizzed the judge about his thoughts on the disappointing announcement that Winkleman and Daly are departing the programme.

When asked about some of his most cherished memories, he warmly recalled collaborating with Winkleman during her stint on the Strictly spin-off discussion programme, It Takes Two.

"What I love about her is she knows absolutely nothing about dance," he disclosed with a mischievous grin, reports Wales Online.

Despite his brutal evaluation of her dancing expertise, Horwood continued: "And I think that's brilliant."

Regarding Daly, the judge emotionally disclosed that for him she will forever represent a link to Strictly's cherished late presenter, Bruce Forsyth, who passed away in 2017.

"I've been with her for 21 years," he reflected. "She always represents for me Brucey, as well.

"So, it's a double-edged sword," he explained. "I wish them well. I want them to go onto fabulous things. I love them both."

Horwood appeared visibly moved as he remembered the presenting pair's tenure on the popular series.

"I'll always have that, as soon as I hear the music," he concluded. "As soon as I hear the music I always see Brucey, and I'll always see Tess and [Claudia]."

Just last week, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman confirmed they would be stepping down after their final show this Christmas, with their successors yet to be revealed.

In a joint statement, they expressed: "We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream.

"We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.

"We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show."

The One Show airs weekdays at 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday at 6:35pm on BBC One.