Sara Cox has shared her thoughts on the new Strictly Come Dancing hosts after the trio faced a barrage of backlash.

Presenter Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe and dancer Johannes Radebe fronted the first live show at the weekend as the new hosting team after Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly’s exit.

While some viewers praised the group, others took issue with Widdicombe’s presenting skills, claiming he kept “missing his cue” and looked like a “spare part”.

BBC Radio 2 DJ Cox was one of the many TV personalities who tried out for the gig and was rejected alongside the likes of Zoe Ball, Angela Scanlon and Rylan Clark.

The broadcaster has now waded into the controversy surrounding the new Strictly faces, calling the shake-up a “big deal”.

"I think it is really exciting and I love all three of them. Emma especially has done loads of live TV. That really is her happy place and she's brilliant at it,” she told Heat magazine.

Asked whether she has given any advice to Willis, Widdicombe and Radebe, she continued: "If you go to work and you're a brain surgeon, it's life or death. If you go to work and it's on the radio or on telly, it's just entertainment.

"Hopefully, you know no-one's going to die. They're a really good team and they're going to look after each other."

Cox talked about the “cloak and dagger” Strictly audition process last month, admitting she hadn’t really wanted the gig as she had just been announced as Scott Mills’ replacement for the Radio 2 breakfast slot.

"Well, I was nervous cos I just got this gig [on Radio 2], so I thought, I can't... I don't really want that one as well,” she admitted on her show.

"I'll be hospitalised! But I've still gotta go and have a go. It was like cosplay, like, being a Strictly presenter for a morning. It was great fun."

New host Widdicombe has been under fire this week after a series of apparent blunders during the live Strictly show on Saturday.

After chatting with contestant Cach Mercer backstage, Radebe asked Widdicombe and Willis, “Who’s dancing now?” and cut to Widdicombe standing onstage in silence, before realising it was his cue to speak.

The same issue appeared to happen again during a different handover.

Widdicombe broke his silence after the backlash by re-sharing a round-up post from the official Strictly Instagram page.

It was captioned, "Caught on camera from week one!" and featured a snap of him flashing a peace sign while posing backstage with Willis.

The comments on the post were full of support for Widdicombe, with fans saying they were “saddened” by the “disgusting” backlash.

Willis later appeared to hit out at “judgy” people with her own pointed post on social media.