EXCLUSIVE: The Strictly Come Dancing hosts made their debut.
The new Strictly hosts made their debut on September 19 (Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing is back, and new presenters Emma Willis, Josh Widdecombe and Johannes Radebe made their debut. The trio led the 2026 launch show, as the new celebrity line-up found out who their professional dancer partners would be. As Josh, Emma and Johannes introduced the celebrities and judges in their debut episode, their body language appeared to reveal exactly what they were thinking.
Body language expert Inbaal Honigman, speaking on behalf of Covers.com, told Express.co.uk: “Emma is carrying the presenter duties almost single-handedly, and they all know it.
“As Josh gets used to the new job, he is panicking internally. When the three stand together, Josh leans towards Emma, showing that he is depending on her. Josh tries to tuck himself slightly behind the others, as if trying to avoid getting noticed or picked first at school.
“Josh’s eyes are concentrating hard on the space in front of him when he speaks, glancing intently into the prompter as if his life depends on it. He is doing his best to stick to the script, and even in his smile, his mounting panic shows. He smiles with his mouth, cheeks rounded, but Josh’s smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. This smile shows that for Josh, this is serious business. He’s not having fun yet.”
Inbaal added that Johannes appeared to be the complete opposite, saying he looked like he was “having the time of his life”.
She continued: “He’s embracing the challenge of presenting with wild abandon- Johannes stretches his spine, shoulders back, keen and enthusiastic. His dancer’s posture conveys his utter delight at scoring such an incredible job.
Strictly’s Josh Widdecombe appeared to be struggling (Image: BBC)
“His approach shows that for him, if it doesn’t work out, no big deal. He’s not questioning himself, whether he’s doing his presenter’s duties well or not. His thrilled physical stance in his mind, he’s a great dancer, so why does he also need to be a great presenter?”
But it appeared clear that Emma was the leader of the group, as Inbaeel said “Emma is in charge.
“She’s super aware of the fact that she’s carrying the boys, and she’s ok with it. She stands strong, shoulders square with confidence and head held high. She knows her way around a presenting job, so even though this is new, it’s not too scary.”
Josh’s debut received a mixed response on social media, as one fan said: “Emma….brilliant a natural. JoJo….so so (don’t need 3 hosts). Josh…bloody awful – get rid of him.”
Another added: “I love Josh but I feel he would be more entertaining as a contestant. He seems like such an odd choice for presenting the show given his comedy background. Plus three hosts is just awkward.”
A third chimed in: “Hosting so far: Emma Willis is excellent…Jojo is fine…Josh seems like a spare part.”
But a fourth said: “Josh Widdecombe has me screaming,” adding a series of laughing face emojis.