Strictly viewers have been wondering why presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman weren’t in costume for Saturday night’s Halloween special.
While the celebrities and judges wore remarkable costumes from head to toe, eagle-eyed fans quickly noticed that both Tess and Claudia were wearing their usual glamorous dresses.
Tess and Claudia have not worn costumes on Halloween since Claudia’s daughter Matilda was burned in a horrific accident in 2014.
Matilda was just eight years old when she suffered severe burns after her costume brushed against a candle and set her on fire while trick-or-treating.
At the time of the accident, Claudia temporarily stepped away from presenting Strictly Come Dancing and became a staunch campaigner for safety and regulations surrounding the materials used in children’s costumes.
Lady in Red: Strictly viewers were left wondering why presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly weren’t in costume for Saturday night’s Halloween special
Glamourous: Hosts Tess and Claudia went out of costume for Saturday night’s Halloween special, instead opting for lace and sequin dresses for the spooky night of the year
Speaking about the agonizing moment of the accident, Claudia previously said: “I don’t like Halloween because three years ago it turned out our screams were real.”
“She blew up” is the only way I can describe it – it was a spark and she screamed for me.
“It was like those horrible birthday candles that you blow out and they come back.” It was really quick. It was definitely life changing for me.”
“I was talking to someone and then I heard her screaming and she was on fire. “It feels like she’s been on fire for hours, but the surgeon said it was probably only seconds.”
The star shares Matilda with her husband of 23 years, Chris Thykier. She also has sons Jake and Arthur.
Viewers took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to ask why the presenters weren’t wearing costumes.
One fan wrote: “Well the judges look good, why didn’t Tess and Claudia dress up?”
Others said: “Tess and Claudia should dress up, so should everyone else.” It’s a shame they don’t #strictly” and “Why do the #Strictly judges always dress up for Halloween but Tess and Claudia don’t? ‘
Gorgeous: Claudia wore a black lace dress with large puffed sleeves, while Tess opted for a red sequin mini dress with fringe details
Keen-eyed fans: While the celebrities and judges were dressed head to toe in remarkable costumes, some viewers were quick to notice that this wasn’t the case for Tess and Claudia
Heartbreaking: Claudia’s daughter Matilda was just eight years old when she suffered severe burns after her costume touched a candle while trick-or-treating and set it on fire.
Dress up: Judges Anton du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse all enjoyed the spooky atmosphere as they dressed up in elaborate and spooky ensembles
Judges Anton du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas all enjoyed the eerie atmosphere as they dressed up in elaborate and spooky ensembles to celebrate the Latin and Ballroom Show’s annual Spooktacular event.
Craig took on the role of the stern and scary Severus Snape from Harry Potter, while Motsi wowed in her spider-inspired outfit, which featured a giant spider web adorning her head.
Anton, on the other hand, was transformed into a brilliant but mad scientist, and head judge Shirley Ballas made an impressive appearance as the villainous queen from Snow White, which fit perfectly with the spooky theme of the evening.
This week Angela Scanlon and professional dancer Carlos Gu kicked off Strictly’s Halloween week with a Black Swan Pasodoble to Swan Lake.
Waterloo Road’s Adam Thomas and his partner Luba Mushtuk performed Perry Como’s American Smooth to Magic Moments, while Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe performed INXS’s Tango to Need U Tonight.
Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington danced a Charleston to the theme song “Murder She Wrote” and Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell danced the Cha Cha to “Come-On-A-My-House” by Della Reese.
Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola took on a salsa to “Murder On The Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lauren Oakley performed a Viennese waltz to “Kiss From A Rose” by Seal, while Layton Williams and his partner Nikita Kuzmin performed a tango to Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo.
Nigel Harman and Katya Jones had some negative comments about their cha cha dance to KISS’s ‘I Was Made For Lovin’ You’.
Last week’s dance-off survivors, Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima, took on the Charleston to Jeepers Creepers by Al Donahue and his orchestra.