BBC never told me why I was axed from Strictly, says Phillips
ARLENE PHILLIPS, the choreographer, has still not been given a “real reason” why the BBC axed her from Strictly Come Dancing, she has claimed, saying she fears she will never know the answer.
Phillips left the show in 2009 at the age of 66 to be replaced by 30-year-old Alesha Dixon, amid accusations of BBC sexism and ageism.
The choreographer, who has not previously commented on why she was dropped, has now said: “I’ve never really been given a real reason. I don’t think I will ever know the answer.”
Earlier this month, the BBC appointed Shirley Ballas, 56, to join the Strictly judging panel, replacing veteran head judge Len Goodman.
In an interview with Good Housekeeping magazine, Phillips said of her dismissal: “Certainly after Strictly I was in a very vulnerable situation. Prior to finding out that I was not going to be on the panel I had lost my manager of 30 years to cancer.
I couldn’t think about fighting, I couldn’t think about losing a job. I was in despair and grief-stricken.
“I didn’t stand up or make my voice heard. I wasn’t in a place to be able to do that. But I have a 48-hour rule – it’s what I tell dancers and it’s what I tell my children – give yourself 48 hours to moan and groan, then just get up and get on with it.”
Now 74, Phillips has been signed up to take part in a new BBC show Holding Back The Years, exploring ageing with former BBC Breakfast host Bill Turnbull, 60, comedy star Maureen Lipman, 70, TV chef Ainsley Harriott, 59, and broadcaster Angela Rippon, 72.
She told the magazine: “Working is my passion and it keeps me alive.
“I love getting up in the morning and having to be here and there. It drives me – it’s where I get my energy.”
Asked whether that same work ethic had echoed down to a new cohort of performers, Phillips said: “You can’t generalise, but I do feel younger generations believe they can obtain more for less in terms of actual slogging.
“If you’re in the arts, or anything that requires great discipline, the only way to achieve it is to put in the hours.” Full interview appears in the July issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale tomorrow.