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Ulrika Jonsson has revealed she was in the running to host Strictly Come Dancing but lost out to Tess Daly because she was pregnant at the time.
The presenter, 56 years old and mother of four children She said that although she was excited, she had to turn down the offer because she was weeks away from giving birth when filming began.
Writing in Sun, She said: “I had no choice but to turn it down, which was heartbreaking.”
Tess Daly went on to present Strictly Come Dancing, alongside TV veteran Bruce Forsyth, before Claudia Winkleman replaced Bruce as Tess’ co-host when she left the show in 2014.
MailOnline has contacted representatives from Strictly Come Dancing.
Ulrika Jonsson has revealed she was in the running to host Strictly Come Dancing but had to turn it down because she was pregnant at the time.
As the 56-year-old presenter, who has four children, was weeks away from giving birth when filming began, she had to say no, meaning the job went to Tess Daly (pictured).
Ulrika, who hosted Gladiators between 1992 and 2000, also revealed she had to “fight tooth and nail” to keep her job while pregnant during the third series of the entertainment game show.
The Swedish presenter claimed that producers considered a pregnant woman to be “too risky”.
She wrote: ‘They refused to let me present the last two weeks of international shows and hired a midwife to follow me around with a chair so I could sit between takes.
“I wasn’t sick. I was just six months pregnant.”
Ulrika went on to say that there is never a right time for a woman to leave her job and have a baby.
She added that in doing so, raising a child “is not a break” and that women have concerns about returning to work that make the whole thing seem disconcerting.
She said: ‘As women, if we take extended time ‘off work’, we risk falling behind in terms of promotions or being considered for other positions. That is, if your employer hasn’t furloughed you and cleared your desk for when you return.’
Ulrika’s column comes after Jodie Marsh revealed she felt intimidated by the former TV weather girl after she made fun of her looks.
Tess Daly went on to present Strictly Come Dancing, alongside TV veteran Bruce Forsyth, before Claudia Winkleman replaced Bruce as Tess’ co-host when she left the show in 2014 (pictured together in 2004).
Ulrika, who presented Gladiators from 1992 to 2000, also claimed producers considered a pregnant woman “too risky”.
She added that she had to “fight tooth and nail” to keep her job while she was pregnant during the third season of the entertainment game show.
Speaking to MailOnline, former glamour model Jodie (who ditched fame to open an animal sanctuary) explained she was already struggling to deal with being criticised for her appearance when Ulrika wrote a “vile” column about her in the now-defunct News Of The World.
Jodie, 45, recalled: “It was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever read about my physical appearance. She joked that she and her husband at the time couldn’t understand whether my nose was a proboscis because it was so big and ugly.
“I felt suicidal for being bullied and I remember crying for days about it. It was the most disgusting thing. I had never met the woman and it was totally unwarranted. It was pure bullying.”
Jodie was so shocked by the column that she decided to contact Ulrika, 56, with a letter, but says she has received no reply.
