'The best friend you'd love to have' - How Claudia Winkleman conquered TV

Early in her career, Winkleman was also used as a pundit on daytime TV shows. In 1996, for example, she was billed as a "chat-up connoisseur" during a dating segment on Good Morning with Anne and Nick.

It is a fascinating clip. Aged 24, Winkleman's voice is higher than it is today, and her cut-glass English accent more refined. But she was comfortable on camera, and, three decades later, her appeal remains the same now as it was then.

"First and foremost, she's funny," says Frances Taylor, TV previews editor at Radio Times. "She has that natural comic timing and ability to be entertaining.

"And an extra layer on top of that is how self-deprecating that sense of humour is, that's her secret weapon to me, she's always willing to make herself the butt of the joke."

She's also "incredibly authentic", Kanter adds. "When you see her at industry events, she is her TV persona. She's the best friend you'd love to have. She's fun, empathetic, understanding, sharp, and those qualities exude from the screen."

But despite her rise, audiences could be seeing less of Winkleman in the future, and not just because Strictly is losing its Clauditorium.

"The more successful you become, the less work you do, for a variety of reasons," says Segal.

"If you get to a certain level, you become above a lot of stuff. Your rates go up financially. Also, the more work you take on, the more risk you have of failing. And sometimes, the way you limit that risk is to do less."

Segal suspects there are "a lot of shows out there hosted by other people that Claudia was first choice for", adding that Winkleman is "probably inundated daily with new ideas, and she will have to say no to 99% of them" - chat show or not.