We made pact to quit over pizza

Star duo agreed to go together vears ago

- MARC BAKER

CLAUDIA Winkleman has revealed how she and Tess Daly hatched a Thelma and Louise-style plot over pizza to quit Strictly together while they were at the top.

Fans were stunned this week when the dynamic duo announced they would be waltzing off the dance floor after 21 years when the current series ends.

But Claudia insists that the pals forged a plan to quit together years ago.

Laughing, she rejected the idea that fans want her to stay for ever, saying: "I don't think anybody would want that.

"I am sure people watching would go, 'Can that small, orange creature just shuffle off?' "Tess and I will leave at the same time... we made that pact over pizza. I had pepperoni." The presenting pair took over from the late TV legend Sir Bruce Forsyth, who left the show in 2014 after 10 years as host.

Now, with massive hit The Traitors also under her belt, Claudia reckons the dynamic between her and Tess is perfect.

"I get terrified doing live TV," she says.

"If Tess is ever wearing anything longsleeved or an upper-arm garment, it is because I have squeezed her because I get really, really scared. I have got imposter syndrome." Despite her fame, Claudia, 53, reckons she still travels incognito on the Tube.

She says: "I don't feel famous at all. I am on the Tube four times a day. The Central line is one of the loves of my life and I have never once been recognised.