18 November 2023 , 15:01
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Strictly Come Dancing's Angela Rippon has had a rocky life away from screens, from a painful divorce to keeping her romances private.
The journalist and presenter has been wowing Strictly judges and fans alike with her impressive dances on the BBC ballroom show. She has even made show history by becoming the oldest ever contestant to perform on the dance programme. Angela, who hosted the original version Come Dancing, has been partnered with Kai Widdrington.
The pair have performed the Cha Cha Cha and stunned the audience by showcasing Angela's incredible flexibility. Angela is known for her successful journalism career, but she tends to keep her home life away from the spotlight. Here is a look at Angela's personal life...
Angela wowed the Strictly judges and viewers (PA)
She hosted the original version of Strictly Come Dancing (REX/Shutterstock)Home life
Angela is believed to spend her time in London and Devon, where she was born and raised. The TV star has homes in both the capital and the seaside town. She has previously shared how she spends the festive period in Devon with her loved ones. Speaking to The Times, Angela shared: "I inherited the family home just outside Tavistock on the edge of Dartmoor when my mother died.
"The extended family, including my godson and his wife, always join me there for Christmas." Angela also has a one-bedroom apartment in the South of France that she uses for "entertaining and getting away from it all". Her close friends Gloria Hunniford and Elaine Paige also have homes nearby.
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Marriage heartbreak
Angela was married to her childhood sweetheart Christopher (Mirrorpix)The journalist married her childhood sweetheart when she was 22-years-old. She wed Christopher Dare in 1967 having first met at a YMCA when Angela was 17. They lived in a 17th-century cottage in Devon and were together for 20 years. However, the couple called it a day in 1989.
Angela did not address her marriage breakdown in public for over a year, and by that time Christopher had already moved on with his now-wife Judy. The presenter has said their split was "painful". Speaking to Modern&Mature, she shared: "It was a stress, of course it was. It was a very stressful period for all sorts of reasons. My immediate feeling was, 'Oh God, I've failed at this.' But in fact, he and I are still good friends."
The former couple are now in a much better place and talk to each other on the phone a couple times a month. Angela is also friendly with Christopher's new wife, who updates the Strictly star on their life in Spain. They also exchange birthday and Christmas cards with each other.
'Private' romances
While she remains tight lipped on her romances, Angela has said she has enjoyed "private" long-term relationships away from the spotlight. Speaking to Prima in March of this year, Angela said: "I was married for 25 years and when we were parting, Christopher told me, 'I got fed up of people coming to our house all the time'.
"It made me realise that when you do a job that's public-facing, you have to respect the privacy of your partner. Hardly anybody – beyond my very close circle of friends – would know who my partners have been over the past several years." Despite enjoying the relationships, Angela has said she doesn't plan on walking down the aisle again.
Speaking with Mail Online in 2015, Angela admitted: "I've discovered I'm very happy being single. I suppose, if I'm honest, when your heart is broken it's painful and I don't want to go there."