Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe are the new faces of Strictly Come Dancing, and while last week they fronted the pre-recorded launch show, this time around, they're presenting the first live show of the series.
Josh, who competed on the show's 2024 Christmas special, said of his new role: "I am giddy with excitement, honoured and a little overawed to be given the chance to step into the biggest shoes in television." He previously joked to HELLO! and other media that the job was "like becoming the England manager or the Prime Minister - only I'd say it's more important!"
Before appearing on the show, the star was most famous as a stand-up comedian appearing on the likes of The Last Leg, QI and Mock the Week. He also starred in his own sitcom, Josh, featuring alongside Elis James, Beattie Edmondson and Jack Dee.
But what do you know about the new host of Strictly? Read on for everything you need to know…
Josh's family life
The 43-year-old is married to producer Rose Hanson, and the pair share a daughter, Pearl, and a son, Cassius, together. Rose is a television producer who has worked on shows like Live at the Apollo and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, both of which her husband has appeared on.
Posting a photo of Rose to mark her 40th birthday in 2023, Josh sweetly penned: "Happy 40th birthday to Rose, the best friend, best wife, best person to go to a festival with, best mum, best buyer of ornaments and best person I have ever met (possibly excluding Damon Albarn)."
© InstagramSadly, the pair lost a child after a miscarriage, and opening up about the loss on his Parenting Hell podcast, he revealed: "The reason I haven't spoken about it is because when Rose was pregnant which came after the miscarriage, you feel like – I know this sounds mad – but you don't want to tempt fate.
"I was just like, 'I just want to get to the end of this.' I didn't feel like I wanted say, 'but now we've got a happy ending because we're pregnant again', because you still feel like you're part of it."
© PA Images via Getty ImagesHe added: "When you're pregnant after a miscarriage, every day feels perilous, like it could go wrong in the way you just don't feel before."
Josh's home life
The comedian and his wife initially lived in Shoreditch; however, the pair eventually ended up moving to a Victorian terrace house in East London. Speaking to The Sunday Times about the move, Josh said: "We moved to our Victorian terrace in East London four years ago when my wife, Rose, was pregnant. This is the house we moved to as our family home. We used to live near Columbia Road, a ten-minute walk from Shoreditch.
"Our new home was our nod to moving to a slightly sleepier area. We like an old house, and it has lots of period features, including lovely floorboards and marble fireplaces — things we didn’t have to fake."
However, earlier this year, the star and his family moved to Exeter, 179 miles away from Elstree Studios, where Strictly is filmed. "We looked [at] it on Rightmove for about a month," he said on his Parenting Hell podcast. "Why don't we go down there, look at the school that's on the road. We really like it."
Speaking to ITV News about why he decided to move back to his home county, Josh said: "I just wanted my kids to grow up in a garden and to be able to go out and do stuff and enjoy themselves and it not feel stressful."
© CREDIT LINE:BBC/Guy LevyHe added: "It's brilliant, it's so good being here. I absolutely love it. And they [his children] love it, but maybe when they're teenagers, they'll be angry at the decision."
