23 Oct 2025
A former Strictly pro dancer has revealed who she believes should replace Craig Revel Horwood - after the long-standing judge previously hinted he would leave when he celebrated his 60th birthday.
Erin Boag, who was on the programme for nearly a decade, has given her verdict on the future of the judging panel after Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman today (23rd October) confirmed they will be stepping down as hosts of Strictly at the end of the series.
Speaking recently in conjunction with Genting Casino’s 20k Spins competition, Erin believes anyone who does replace Craig ‘would need to come from a theatre background’ as she quickly ruled herself out of taking the job.
She believes Broadway star and American Idol winner Adam Lambert would be ‘perfect’ to take over from Craig if he stepped away from the competition programme due to his theatre background, and his ‘great personality’, which she notes is vital for the panel.
Speaking in conjunction with Genting Casino’s 20k Spins competition, Erin Boag says:
‘Craig isn’t really a villain, he puts things in a much nicer way than he used to’
“Thank God for Craig [being on the panel], there’s been rumours about Craig [leaving] for a while. I don’t read a lot of papers but I think it came up through algorithms on my phone. Something mentioned in the article about Craig retiring, was to do with a comment he previously made about him retiring when he’s 60. Craig is a huge asset to the show and I know he plays a villain, but he’s not a villain really, it’s just panto. He puts things in a way that is much nicer than he used to. Sometimes you need an honest opinion like his.
‘He comes from a theatre background, so someone from that world should replace him’
“It would be a shame to see him go, I don’t think he has any intentions of leaving. The rumour of who would replace him… I think my name came up and few of the other dancers. If he ever was to leave, because it’s quite top heavy, if you look at Motsi, Shirley and Anton who all come from ballroom and latin backgrounds. Craig comes from a theatre background and you would need to replace him with someone from the same background. You would need someone with a background of a different form of dance or theatre. Craig, don’t leave us! Is what I would say. He’s a great asset in the show. I would hate to see him go.
‘I would love to see Adam Lambert replace Craig, he’d be perfect for the job’
“Adam Lambert would be great. Somebody like him would be perfect. He’s from the theatre world. He does have a dance background that’s not ballroom and latin, he’s all about performance. He can dance, sing and act. If you look up the panel with two female hosts, two female judges, definitely a male would replace Craig. Somebody like Adam would be perfect. He sprung to mind when I was reading this article, I thought, ‘Why hasn’t it been mentioned?’ He’s quite young, but he also has a great personality that when you’re a judge, you have to be able to speak quite fast and think quickly. I think he would be perfect for the job, I would put my money on him.”
