Rylan Clark's message to Strictly star as she replaces him on BBC show

26 September 2023 , 09:47

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Fleur East shares Rylan Clark's words of advice as she replaces him as It Takes Two host (Image: ITV)

Fleur East has shared Rylan Clark 's sweet words to her following the news that she would be replacing him on Strictly Come Dancing 's beloved spin-off show.

The singer will take over from her fellow X Factor alum on the next series of It Takes Two, much to the excitement of her adoring fanbase. Having made it to the finals of Strictly Come Dancing last year, Fleur will return to the show this year as a host on the fun-filled show. She'll join former So You Think You Can Dance star Janette Manrara, who was hired to co-present It Takes Two back in 2021.

Fleur recently opened up about how Rylan has helped her ahead of her upcoming new role, gushing that he has been nothing but gracious when it comes to passing on the baton.

"He has been very supportive," she told Closer. "He said, 'Go out there and have a good time.'" The 35-year-old musician also explained that Rylan has offer her "some good advice," on presenting the spin-off, urging her to be herself and "enjoy it." She also said that she's excited to be partnered with Janette, whom she got to know well during the most recent Strictly Live Tour. "We're both very loud, very bubbly and we laugh a lot."

Fleur East is taking over from Rylan Clark as a host on Strictly's It Takes Two (Dave Benett/Getty Images for evi)

Fleur has revealed she's excited to join Janette Manrara on this year's It Takes Two (BBC/Ray Burmiston)

Just a couple of weeks ago, Rylan revealed he would be leaving Strictly's It Takes Two after a "fantastic four years" to pursue other projects. He shared the update in an emotional statement on his social media, explaining that it was finally "time for me to hang up my glittery jacket and say goodbye."

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"I've had the best time hosting alongside Janette and Zoe [Ball] and I can't thank the amazing team enough for always putting on a great show," he added. In a follow-up interview with the Sun, Rylan elaborated on his decision to quit It Takes Two.

Rylan has shared sweet words with Fleur East as she takes over his hosting job on It Takes Two (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Fleur East made it to the finals of Strictly last year (BBC/Guy Levy)

"I’ve been doing the same type of job for 10 years. For me, I just got to the point, ‘What do I want? What would I like to be? Who do I want to be? What show do I want to do in the future? And it’s really hard to try to work that out while you’re doing different things. So I had to take that step back, have a minute to myself, let it breathe, and not turn on the TV and see yourself while you’re watching what everyone else is doing."

Meanwhile, Fleur has spoken candidly about how her participation as a contestant on Strictly alongside partner Vito Coppola will benefit her as a host on It Takes Two.

"I've got the unique viewpoint of having experienced it all myself and within the last year so it's still super fresh in my mind and I'll be able to identify with the celebs every single week," she explained. "I think I'm just going to be very honest and just try to connect with them on a human level and get real emotions from their experiences."

Emma Dooney