Arlene Phillips, a former Strictly Come Dancing judge, described her exit from the BBC dance competition as “tough” and compared it to the most recent scandals.
Arlene Phillips has admitted she found her Strictly Come Dancing exit “tough,” after being suddenly replaced without warning. The dancer and former judge, 82, saw her departure from the hit BBC competition spark an ageism row as Alesha Dixon, then 30, took her place.
Despite having decades of experience as a dancer and choreographer, Arlene found out about the bosses’ decision through the radio rather than being told directly. Controversy has continued to surround the dance competition over the years, with actress Amanda Abbington sparking a bullying row.
Giovanni Pernice, her dance partner, denied bullying during their time together in 2023. Wynne Evans was kicked off the tour this year because of his behavior, and the drama off stage persisted once more.
Since then, Arlene has revealed details about both her exit and the subsequent scandals. She stated to The Sunday Times, “I loved my time on Strictly, and it was difficult leaving.”
Although some of the dancers were accused of bullying, I wasn’t there when I began teaching. The dancer credits her children with helping her learn to communicate without losing her composure.
She admitted that she didn’t want to lose her temper when I was younger because I didn’t want to talk to people in a different way. Without shouting, there are ways to persuade others to do whatever they want.
Last year, Arlene admitted she ‘kicked, screamed and sobbed’ when she found out she was getting the boot from her beloved show. She had joined Strictly in 2004, but after the show wrapped in 2008, Arlene found out she’d got the chop.
The decorated Dame openly admitted how she handled the news when she spoke about the axe in a conversation with the Mirror. She stated, “I gave myself 48 hours to kick, scream, cry, and sob, and then I forced myself to wake up and get on with it.”
After learning the news, Arlene went on to say that she thought she hadn’t asked the appropriate questions and that she had later had more time to reflect. She continued, “My manager died, and I was very fragile.”
“I wanted to know the exact reason behind their decision to let me go, but they kept me waiting for so long with the possibility that there would be five judges.”
Arlene was rumored to have been fired because BBC thought she was too old at the time. She claimed she was still unaware of the reason behind her dismissal and was replaced by Alesha, who had never critiqued a dance show but who was later declared Strictly champion.
Arlene exuded elegance when describing the abrupt conclusion of her time on the show, saying that because she was grown up, you just get on with it when things don’t go your way.
However, the former judge was unwavering when asked if she was considering returning to the show and said, “I would never think about it, so I would never think about it.” It’s not even an option.
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Source: Mirror
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