Fleur East has admitted she was bothered by being turned down to host Strictly Come Dancing, saying on her radio show on 13 May that she had tried to convince herself she would be fine if the job went elsewhere. The singer and broadcaster said she had come to terms with the possibility of missing out only until someone else’s appointment was confirmed.

East, who presents the Hits Radio Breakfast Show, said she had told herself it probably would not happen for her and that she would be happy for whoever got the role. But she said that was not the full story. “I’ve kind of lied to myself that I’d be all right with not doing it or not being considered for the job, but I’m kind of bothered…” she said, adding that she had been “coming to terms with it” before the decision was effectively settled.

Her remarks landed on the same day it was reported that Emma Willis had been offered the presenting gig, with Zoe Ball confirmed to have missed out. Rylan Clark and Angela Scanlon are also reportedly out of the running. East said Willis would be “great” and “amazing” for the show, and she added: “But it’s gone to the right person.”

The timing matters because Strictly’s top job is being reshaped after Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly announced in 2025 that they would leave the programme. East is not speaking from the sidelines. She first competed on Strictly in 2022 and has hosted the spin-off It Takes Two since 2023, making her one of the few people already woven into the show’s orbit.

That is also why her reaction carries more weight than a simple showbiz opinion. East said she had even allowed herself to imagine a future call back from the production team, describing a scenario in which they might decide to bring her in after all. For now, though, the reported direction points elsewhere, with Willis widely said to have the lead and Johannes Radebe also reported as a possible co-presenter, though that has not been officially confirmed.

What East’s comments make clear is that the disappointment is real, even if she is trying to wear it lightly on air. She has been part of the Strictly ecosystem for years, and the latest round of decisions leaves her as a familiar face around the franchise, but not the one stepping into the main studio role.