Strictly Come Dancing star Josh Widdicombe has faced plenty of criticism since stepping into his new role as host of the BBC show.
He joined the 2026 series alongside Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe, with the trio taking over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
Josh has, in particular, come under fire since making his hosting debut. However, he has spoken positively about his experience and how much he is enjoying being part of the iconic BBC show.
Now, body language expert Dr Beth Dawson, who has teamed up with Mecca Bingo, has exclusively told Entertainment Daily how the scrutiny could be affecting Josh in his new role.
Strictly host Josh Widdicombe is ‘increasingly self-conscious’
Beth believes there is an important distinction between Josh’s experience as a comedian and the demands of presenting Strictly.
“There is a difference between being confident as a comedian and being confident as a presenter. In stand-up, Josh controls the timing, the material and the interaction. On Strictly, he’s operating within a much more complex communication environment involving autocues, producers, contestants, judges, co-presenters and live timings,” Beth tells ED!
She believes the criticism could become a bigger issue if it causes Josh to overthink his performance.
“I think the biggest danger for Josh now isn’t necessarily the criticism itself, but that the criticism makes him increasingly self-conscious.”
Beth said that “we can start monitoring everything we do” when “we know we’re being scrutinised”.
Her advice is for Josh to “stop trying to show that he belongs there”, as she believes he “doesn’t need to fill every silence or respond to every comment”.
She also noticed moments when Josh appeared “self-conscious and awkward”.
Beth explained: “We can see that by how he’s holding his body and his breath! If we look closely, we can see that he is keeping very still, shoulders slightly hunched and holding his breath very slightly, when Emma speaks, for example. This tells me he’s nervous.”
Josh offered a piece of advice
Beth also pointed out that viewers are adjusting to more than just a new presenter. They are getting used to a “completely different presenting dynamic after years of Tess and Claudia”.
“Some of the awkwardness people are picking up on may be about the new format, rather than Josh himself,” she said.
If Beth could offer the 43-year-old presenter just one piece of advice, she would encourage him not to “try to take up more space”.
“Be comfortable enough to leave space for other people. That’s often what real confidence looks like,” she said.
Read more: It Takes Two host Ellie Taylor rushed to hospital as Strictly team are issued plea
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