Fleur East has opened up about missing out on the Strictly Come Dancing hosting role, confessing she had been “lying to herself” regarding her true feelings on the matter.

The 38-year-old singer, who rose to prominence by reaching the final of The X Factor in 2014, balances her music career with presenting duties on Hits Radio Breakfast and the Strictly spin-off, It Takes Two. East competed on the BBC One dance show in 2022, advancing to the final with professional partner Vito Coppola. She emerged as a top contender to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman following their departure after the 2025 series. However, East confirms she did not secure the position, with Emma Willis now rumored as the new host.

Honest Reflections on Hits Radio Breakfast

During Wednesday’s Hits Radio Breakfast show with co-hosts Will Best and James Barr, East addressed the speculation directly. “Alright, I’m going to say it,” she began. “So I did say initially, after Tess and Claudia were announced they were leaving Strictly.”

Recalling earlier discussions, she noted how Will had highlighted her favorable odds. “And Will, you were doing the odds checker, and you were saying, ‘Fleur you’re at the top, you’re one of the favourites to do it’. I did say, ‘you know, yeah, but you know, it’s probably not going to happen and I’m happy for whoever gets it’. And you know, we were just talking about Emma Willis being announced.”

East admitted the frequent questions from others prompted self-reflection. “And I was like ‘yeah, great, amazing’, but so many people have asked me, ‘but wouldn’t you love to do it?’, and I’ve kind of lied to myself that I’d be all right with not doing it or not being considered for the job.”

Coming to Terms with the Opportunity

She further confessed, “But I think I’m kind of bothered.” Will responded supportively, “Mate, I mean, that’s totally understandable.” East agreed, emphasizing honesty: “I think it’s okay to kind of admit that, oh, I don’t know, I’m doing it, it’s happening. I think it’s okay to admit that. Being faced with the opportunity of such an incredible job. I mean, it’s an amazing show.”

Highlighting her deep connection, she added, “I’ve not only had the privilege and pleasure of being on it, but then also hosting It Takes Two and being part of the family. Like it’s been an incredible job to be part of.”

East reflected on nearly grasping the role: “So when you’re within touching distance of something like that, and even considering it for a minute, I never allowed myself to really go fully there, but I did think about it. I was like, that would be amazing. I guess I have been lying to myself when I’ve been saying ‘yeah, I’m fine’.”

When James inquired about her well-being, East replied, “Yeah. I’m alright. I’m coming to terms. But I feel like I think I was okay before until it was sort of like kind of confirmed that someone’s got the job. Because until it was confirmed, I was like, well, they might call me one day. They might do all the tests and they go, actually, yeah, we haven’t seen Fleur. Let’s give her a little call.”