EXCLUSIVE: Dame Arlene Phillips, 82, an original Strictly Come Dancing judge, shares her thoughts on who should replace Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly
Arlene Phillips was one of the original judges on Strictly Come Dancing, when the show first aired in 2004, so it’s fair to say she knows a thing or two when it comes to the hit BBC show.
Having spent four years on the judging panel alongside Len Goodman, she was sensationally replaced by popstar, Alesha Dixon, then 30, sparking allegations of ageism.
However, the seasoned choreographer, 82, – who has worked with icons such as Diana Ross and Tina Turner, feels Strictly is a whole different beast to when she first appeared on it. Discussing hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly’s decision to leave, she feels that a certain London-born actress, ought to fill the role.
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“I think Hannah Waddingham would smash it! She could be Claudia and Tess all in one. I thought the way she delivered Eurovision was spectacular, but Claudia and Tess are a very hard act to follow.”
In October, Tess and Claudia, announced that last series would be their final year presenting the award-winning TV show after a historic 21year run.
Since then, former This Morning host, Holly Willoughby, has been tipped as a possible shoo-in for the job, but Dame Arlene isn’t convinced. “Has she? I imagine that they would go out of the box, but she’s a good host,” she states.
Revealing whether she was shocked by Tess and Claudia’s decision to leave, Arlene admits, “I wasn’t surprised that either of them decided to go. I had this feeling that they were just ready to move on. Sometimes returning to the same thing – for Tess it’s been over 20 years, and for Claudia it’s been almost as long.”
“I recall when she first did It Takes Two, and quite remarkably, she made that show. She was funny, kind and smart. I remember I used to do that show once or twice a week, as I was on Strictly, and just watching the way she buzzed around that studio and dealt with the whole thing with such ease.”
“Claudia has been there a long time too, and I think the show has got so big, and there’s so much riding on it. I look back and our show feels tiny, and it’s nothing like this huge monster it has become, and where there’s been the ups and downs, but Claudia has the world at her feet.”
Heaping further praise onto the Traitors star, she continues, “She’s smart, beautiful, kind, knowledgeable and has a unique way of speaking to people. She has her own world – there’s a Claudia world, and I think that Claudia world could go anywhere and do anything that she chooses to do.”
Incredibly, Arlene who was born in Lancashire, received a Damehood from Princess Anne in 2021 for her services to dance and charity.
Reflecting on the prestigious nod she explains, “It was incredible and unexpected, but once that fabulous day is gone, you just get back to doing what you do, but with a fancy name. I appreciate it, but honestly, I’m exactly the same person.”
Modestly, she doesn’t use her sought-after title to secure a restaurant reservation saying, “No, never. Certainly, in my world, and in the world of a lot of other Dames and Sirs I know, it doesn’t make any difference. You don’t even notice it. You don’t get put into first class on British Airways just because you’re a Dame. You have to pay for it like everybody else, and as it should be.”
In 2024, and at the grand age of 80, Arlene silenced any ageism critics when she received her first-ever Olivier award for her theatre work on Guys and Dolls. Moreover, last year she teamed up with the Cares For Caregivers campaign. Sadly, her beloved father, Abraham, developed Alzheimer’s disease and died from the cruel illness in 2000 at the age of 89.
Reflecting on the years leading up to his demise, she says, “My dad was diagnosed probably after eight years and then he lived for another four, but the weird thing is you watch the person that you love just very slowly disappear.”
“It’s almost like they’re going through a long train journey, and bit by bit everything has been wiped out of their minds, and memories.”
Shining a light on the unsung heroes she adds, “There are over five and a half million unpaid carers in the UK, who also have jobs. What you realise when you are living with someone who has Alzheimer’s or dementia, is that your life is no longer yours.”
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