Arlene Phillips: I fast-forward the Strictly judges, they go on too long

With more than 50 years in showbiz under her belt, it’s a joy to discover that dance queen Arlene Phillips is as refreshingly honest and outspoken as she’s always been.

While the former Strictly Come Dancing star still watches the hit BBC show every Saturday, she admits she prefers watching the performers rather than listening to the judging panel give their feedback.

She tells OK , “The one thing about Strictly that I don’t really enjoy any more is the segment with the judges’ comment,” she says. “I think they go on far too long. I usually just fast-forward those bits.”

That said, Arlene, 80 – who was controversially sacked from the show in 2009 – is still good friends with her former co-stars.

She says, “I still catch up with Craig [Revel-Horwood] and Bruno [Tonioli] when I can. I’ve known Bruno more than half of my life.

“We met in the late 70s and have been really close friends ever since. And I’d love to see Craig more but he lives quite far away, but we message each other all the time.”

Arlene adds, “I do think Anton has made a great addition to the show, he was always made to be a judge. It’s his likeability.”

Strictly gave her lifelong friendships, but Arlene describes her premature departure from the show as a blessing in disguise, as it has given her more precious time to spend with her family.

The grandmother-of-two reveals, “For the first time, this year, I’m turning down quite a lot of work. My own mum passed away when I was 15, so my kids didn’t know their grandmother from my side of the family and I’m determined to spend time with my daughters and my little granddaughters. So I’m taking time off and I can’t lie, it’s joyous.”

The choreographer – who is promoting the return of her dramatic stage production House of Flamenka – believes the show today is more “about who the public fall in love with”, and that actually, she’s somewhat grateful not to be a permanent fixture on our TV screens any more as she’s unsure she’d be able to cope with hateful comments from strangers.

She explains, “I wasn’t really subjected to trolling when I was on the show. Definitely not to the horrendous extent that Shirley [ Strictly judge Shirley Ballas ] seems to be.

“But I think, if I was on the show now, I’d have to limit how much I look at social media. I receive the odd nasty comment but I’m really good at just swiping off it and turning a blind eye.

“If I see one bad word, I turn it off. I wouldn’t want to upset myself, I just wouldn’t acknowledge it.”

As for who she's backing for the Glitterball Trophy this year, she's undecided.

She says, “I just love the attitude of all of the contestants this year, they’re all so enthusiastic and absolutely no one is holding back.

“It’s always going to be exciting watching someone like Layton Williams, who I’ve worked alongside in the past and who calls me ‘Auntie Arlene’.

“But I equally can’t take my eyes off the likes of Amanda Abbington and Angela Rippon. They’re electric!”

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