Dame Arlene Phillips says she's 'not supposed to be 80' and loves still working
At 80 years old (yes, really!) and 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.
Flanked by eight partially-dressed, six-foot-something male dancers as she promotes her dramatic stage production House Of Flamenka with the show’s star Karen Ruimy, it’s clear to see that the choreographer and TV favourite hasn’t lost her ability to demand every inch of the spotlight. So it’s hard to believe her when she says she was nervous ahead of our sultry and seductive photoshoot alongside flamenco dancer Karen.
“Like everyone, some days I do feel 100% and some days I don’t feel confident at all,” she admits. “But I am who I am. I think age has a lot to do with spirit. I don’t think I feel how I’m supposed to at 80 – I’m full of life and ready to go! I believe you’re only as young as you feel.”
Arlene Phillips said she still loves working at the age of 80 (Alex James)Speaking to us about everything from life as a grandmother to her headline-grabbing sacking from Strictly, it’s clear no topics are off limits. And it seems right to acknowledge that we’re not just chatting to a prime-time TV judge – we are conversing with a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
“It’s somewhat incredible to have received a damehood because it was the last thing I expected,” Arlene says. “I was just this young girl from Manchester who desperately wanted to be a performer. I never imagined I’d be honoured in any way for my work, let alone with a damehood. I’m one of those people who is so lucky because I wake up every morning and I can’t wait to get to work. I wish everyone had a job like that – one that they love. I’m just living my dream, so I hope for that for everyone.”
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It’s certainly the case when it comes to her West End dance extravaganza – a spicy celebration of Spanish flamenco. “It’s different from anything I’ve ever worked on before,” smiles Arlene. “Whenever someone asks me to describe what the show is about, I’m lost for words. I usually just go with the line, ‘It’s beautifully bonkers.’”
Karen, the show’s co-creator who also plays the lead role, adds, “It’s a very powerful show because we’re really harnessing the sensuality of flamenco. We have some brilliant flamenco dancers from Madrid starring alongside a group of contemporary dancers, so the mix is really interesting.”
Arlene Phillips is enjoying her new production (Alex James)The production is certainly blessed with having an esteemed dame on board. Yet Arlene – who shares daughters Alana, 44, and Abi, 32, with long-term partner Angus Ion – says her family were aghast when she revealed she would be adding a title to her name.
“The girls laughed at how ridiculous it was that their mum was to be a dame, and they cried because of how moved they were,” she recalls. “But no one in my house calls me a dame – most people don’t, actually – so I doubt my family ever think about it!”
Arlene has recently celebrated her 80th birthday – and we’re desperate to know how the “First Lady of Dance” is able to stay so youthful.
“I love Tom Ford products for ageing,” she admits. “And I’ve got my trusted Chanel mascara. But I’d say it really is my family that keeps me feeling so spritely. I had my youngest daughter at 47, so in many ways, she kept me young and her sister kept me young, and now I have the little ones to chase around.”
As well as her damehood, Arlene has earned the title of “Glamorous Granny” and she describes her granddaughters Lila Primrose, four, and Emme Bow, two, as the “loves of her life”.
“Lila, who’s almost five, has just ventured off to primary school, and Emme, who is almost three, is now at nursery, so it’s felt like a really big time for my family. I cannot tell you how much I love and adore those kids. All my spare time is spent seeing them.”
Arlene says she can already see Lila and Emme following in her footsteps, but she insists she would never push them into the arts. “They’re always dancing, especially Lila,” she says. “My daughter Alana sent me a video the other day of Lila awake at 5am, dancing around the house to the soundtrack of Guys And Dolls, which I recently choreographed. Watching her respond to the rhythm of those songs was a pure joy.
“But there’s no pressure on them. They won’t be going to dance school every day. I didn’t push my own daughters into dance, so I wouldn’t do that with my grandchildren.”
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Arlene Phillips with dancers from her new production (Alex James)
Arlene Phillips is enjoying a new lease of life (Alex James)Arlene, who is joined on our shoot by the cast of House Of Flamenka, is clearly thrilled at being kept on her toes by this dramatic production. And the energy of the performances is certainly something to be celebrated, agrees dancer Karen. “At the end of the show, everyone is standing on their feet dancing. It’s really special,” she says.
But away from the glitz of the dance floor, when it comes to her appearance, Arlene says she feels “as comfortable wearing no make-up as I do with a full face on”. She adds, “There’s not a lot I can change now. I’m just going to get on with being myself.”
The star is just as candid when asked about the temptation to have cosmetic surgery, telling us, “I wouldn’t go under the knife, because I don’t like pain or operations. But I have had a couple of tweaks of this and that over the years. I’ve had skin filler – not since before the pandemic – but I think I would be looking to have that again. The pain isn’t too bad and the results aren’t too drastic.”
When we broach the subject of hurtful online comments, Arlene admits she is grateful not to be a permanent fixture on our TV screens any more. “I wasn’t really subjected to trolling when I was on the show,” she explains. “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.”
We move to the subject of Strictly with caution – Arlene was axed from its judging panel in 2009 and replaced by younger musician Alesha Dixon. Her exit caused such uproar that Harriet Harman, Minister for Women and Equality at the time, became involved, and the formidable duo called for an investigation into ageism at the BBC.
Nevertheless, Arlene has fond memories of her time in the BBC ballroom and tunes in every Saturday. “Oh, yes, I still absolutely love Strictly,” she says, before giving us her verdict on this year’s line-up. “I know they’ve got people on it that have danced in the past but, ultimately, Strictly nowadays is about who the public fall in love with. It’s not always the best dancers.
“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!”
It’s only natural that Arlene might have a tiny bit of criticism when it comes to the show’s production. “The one thing about Strictly that I don’t really enjoy any more is the segment with the judges’ comments,” she says. “I think they go on far too long. I usually just fast-forward those bits.”
But it’s House Of Flamenka that takes precedence in Arlene’s busy winter schedule. “The story follows a wealthy and frivolous club owner who invites her friends over for an extravagant dance party. But the gods are looking down on their playfulness and don’t wish to see such overindulgence, so they take away all of her pleasures,” explains Arlene.
“They strip the colour out of her life, so the second act is all about her redemption. It’s a very dramatic contrast from the beginning.”
Karen chimes in, “This project has been unlike anything else I’ve worked on because it is making flamenco accessible to those who aren’t familiar with its incredible traditions.”
Arlene is still friends with her former Strictly co-stars Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli. “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. We message each other all the time.”
She adds, “I do think Anton [Du Beke] has made a great addition to the show. He was always made to be a judge. It’s his likeability.”
She says she was left “utterly heartbroken” earlier this year when she heard about the passing of her beloved friend Len Goodman, who died of bone cancer days short of his 79th birthday in April. “I didn’t know he was ill,” she tells us. “It was really sad to lose him, a true tragedy.”
But despite the lifelong friendships Strictly has given her, she describes her premature departure from the show as a blessing in disguise as it gave her more precious time to spend with her family.
Arlene welcomed her two daughters later in life after suffering fertility complications, and both of her pregnancies were medically categorised as “geriatric”. She recalls, “I endured that awful day of taking my daughter to nursery and worrying I looked like a grandmother and everyone else looked younger. And the morning sickness I got with my second pregnancy was difficult, but neither of those things took away from the joy that my girls gave me.
“A child is a gift, and if you’re lucky enough to conceive naturally, no matter what age you are, you have to totally embrace it. Even if you’re older, take every chance you get of having a child, if you really want one. Just do it.”
Before heading back to rehearsals, Arlene leaves us with some words of advice for young performers trying to break into show business – which she also seems to have followed herself since leaving Strictly. “The truth is, the one thing you’re going to face in life is massive rejection,” she reflects. “You have to be ready for that. When I first started out, I wasn’t. You could fight it out against 3,000 people during an audition stage, get down to the final two and get rejected. You’ve got to be able to brush that off. You’ve got to give yourself time to scream, cry, feel sorry for yourself for 24 hours. Then you have to bounce back bigger than ever.”
House Of Flamenka is on at London’s Peacock Theatre from 17 to 28 October. See
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