25 September 2023 , 23:01
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Angela Rippon says she is 'still hanging in there' on Strictly Come Dancing but says she does wish BBC bosses would have asked her a decade ago.
Angela has made history on the series as the show's oldest ever contestant and the respected journalist insisted she still feels like she's 30 – not 78. Fans have so far loved her much-overdue debut and said she has been inundated with support for signing up for the dancefloor challenge.
She claims she’s doing Strictly for the older community who are often made to feel “invisible” amid agism fears and former finalist John Whaite is one of many stars who are backing Angela to win the series. She's not looking that far ahead but says being the most senior contestant in programme's history doesn’t faze her.
Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington wowed this weekend (PA)
She told the Radio Times she's still 'hanging in there'The veteran broadcaster wowed the judges and viewers on Saturday night as she high-kicked her way through her Cha Cha Cha with pro Kai Widdrington. Impressed fans took to Twitter to praise the star for her impressive performance, which earned a score of 28 weeks before her 79th birthday.
The TV favourite told the Radio Times about her time so far on the show and says she was told producers wouldn't ask her to join because she was the wrong side of 50. She said: "The first words out of my mouth were 'Why didn’t you ask me ten years ago when I was a lot younger?' I’m doing Strictly this year because it’s the first time they’ve asked me.
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"I love to dance, I’ve been associated with dancing for a very long time. People told me 'They’ll never employ anyone over 50' - well, there’s me, Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville, and we’re in year 15 of Rip Off Britain," she added. "We’re still hanging in there."
On the eve of curtain up, Angela told of some of the support she has had. She recalled: "When I was loading up my shopping in Waitrose at the checkout, the lady standing next to me said, 'I just want you to know that all my friends say that women our age and our hair colour become invisible, so thank you because you’re going to make headlines for us.'
"Everybody’s asking about my age but I never think about it. I suppose up here I’m still 30, but because I’ve been around dancers for a long time, my head knows what to do but my body keeps saying, ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ Touch wood I haven’t had a single twinge yet."