Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly complete non-stop dance-a-thon for Comic Relief

Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly have completed a non-stop dance-a-thon for Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day 2019.

BBC Radio 2 presenter Claudia Winkleman and her Strictly Come Dancing co-presenter Tess Daly pledged to practice what they preach and ‘keep dancing’ in an epic challenge that saw them floss, dab and salsa to the beat for the longest ever Danceathon in Red Nose Day history.

It all started yesterday, Monday 11 March and continued for 24 hours through to this evening (Tuesday 12 March). The stars put their dancing skills to the test as Radio 2 turned into a giant jukebox, playing the very best floor fillers from the 60s, 70s and 80s right up to the present day.

The dancing marathon pushed the duo to their limits, both physically and mentally, as they swapped the side lines of the dancefloor for centre stage and dance non-stop for over 24-hours, all to raise vital cash for Red Nose Day to help Comic Relief improve countless lives both here in the UK and internationally.

After 24 hours, the pair’s challenge concluded live tonight on The One Show having raised £782,686 for Comic Relief.

Throughout the past 24 hours they were joined by a number of special guests including Jon Snow, Rylan, Jeremy Vine and Ed Balls.

Claudia Winkleman, who hosted the first ever Comic Relief six-hour Danceathon in 2015, said before starting: “I’m so excited to be taking on this epic Danceathon challenge with Tess live at Radio 2 in the legendary Wogan House.

“I know it’s going to be hilarious to watch because we’re pretty bad dancers – I’m not very good at standing, let alone dancing. Thankfully we’ll have each other and we’re going to push through to raise as much money as we can for Red Nose Day.

“We love Comic Relief and believe in everything they do. We’ve seen first-hand how the money raised provides a lifeline for people living in the most desperate situations, and we’re doing this for them.

“We want people at home to come together, dig deep and support us through this because dancing for over 24 hours is going to be one hell of a challenge.”

Tess Daly added: “I am so proud to be supporting Red Nose Day with Claudia. I just hope we have the stamina to ‘keep dancing’ for over 24 hours straight!

“We were worn out during our first choreography session so it’s no doubt going to be a tough challenge. But, we’re doing this to raise money for Red Nose Day, so it will be incredibly special, and we’ll be thinking of all the people that will benefit from all the amazing projects funded by Comic Relief.

“Doing this at Wogan House is extra special for me having worked with the great man, Sir Terry, himself many times.”

For more information and to continue to donate, head to comicrelief.com/danceathon