18 November 2023 , 14:52
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Strictly Come Dancing star Angela Rippon has said the ‘atmosphere has changed’ since arriving in Blackpool.
Tonight will see the seven remaining celebrities take to the dance floor in the seaside town’s iconic Tower Ballroom, which is known as the UK mecca for international dance competitions.
And it’s a full circle moment for 79-year-old broadcaster Angela, who is not only Strictly’s oldest ever contestant, but a former presenter of the BBC show when it aired in the Eighties and was simply called Come Dancing.
After finding herself in the bottom two twice in recent weeks, Angela is hoping her American Smooth with partner Kai Widdrington to the Ella Fitzgerald classic Tea For Two will be a hit with the judges – and revealed they will perform three new lifts.
Last week Angela and Kai were hit with ‘fix’ claims after the judges again saved her in the dance off, but some viewers claimed it was just so she could appear in the Blackpool special episodes this weekend.
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She has also been criticised for not having any fast dances so far, though hit back she had done the Quickstep. Bookies have since tipped Angela as the most likely celeb to be eliminated from the BBC show this weekend. According to BetVictor, Angela is favourite to be given the boot with odds of 1/2, followed by former British tennis star Annabel Croft and her dance partner Johannes Radebe.
Angela still has the moves at 79, making her Strictly's oldest ever contestant (PA)
But Angela and pro partner Kai Widdrington are bookies' favourites to go this week (PA)BetVictor spokesperson Sam Boswell said: “Angela is the favourite to be the next celebrity eliminated. She has survived both dance-offs, firstly against Adam Thomas and last weekend against Krishnan Guru-Murthy. I think she’s at risk this weekend.”
Writing in her column for The Telegraph, Angela acknowledged her position in the competition was shaky and said: “For the second week in a row I was in the dance-off. This time against Krishnan Guru-Murthy. Three judges saved Kai and I, booking our ticket to Blackpool.”
Describing what the show was like now in the final weeks, she added: “Suddenly the whole atmosphere surrounding the competition has changed. There are only seven of us left, which means when we meet for rehearsals, it is much quieter. In the green room, known as the Star Bar, we miss another familiar face, the sound of an infectious laugh and the warmth of a massive group hug.”
Angela presenting the BBC's original Come Dancing in the Eighties (REX/Shutterstock)This week she promised the routines will be “more ambitious, more demanding and quite spectacular” – and revealed she even has six backing dancers. Her American Smooth with Kai, which she said is “basically a foxtrot with knobs on”, will feature “a bit of cheeky footwork and a splash of Hollywood glamour”.
And she is lucky she gets to dance this week. Sharing the toll Strictly is taking on her body, Angela confessed: “Fortunately, half an hour in the hands of a Strictly physio has sorted out the nagging pain I’ve had in my rib for three weeks. A session of pummelling, twisting and stretching has had a satisfying result in that I’ve been deemed fit to dance. Blackpool will be a special occasion for each one of us. Kai competed in the Tower Ballroom as an amateur and won a World Championship. And for three years in the 1980s I presented the original BBC dance competition from that amazing building. So there will be so many new memories to add to the old ones... I hope you enjoy it. I certainly will.”
*Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.40pm on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer