Here’s the news... Angela can still do splits at 76
FORMER newsreader Angela Rippon has revealed she can still do the splits – more than 40 years after she amazed 26 million viewers with her high-kicking dance routine on Morecambe and Wise.
Angela, 76, said that although she is no longer the “Ferrari” she was, she sees herself as a “well-preserved vintage model”.
When asked if she could do the splits in her 70s she replied: “Oh yes I can. I’m still very supple. Of course, some things I could do when I was, say 30, I can’t do now.
“But it’s important to maintain what you can do for as long as possible – then no one can ask more of you.”
In the 1976 Morecambe andWise Christmas special,Angela became the toast of the nation as the first deskbound newsreader to reveal their legs.
The former Nine O’Clock News presenter says she has maintained a dedicated fitness regime and is enthusiastic about the benefits.
She told Platinum magazine that in her 20s she had been advised by a woman she interviewed to think of her body as a machine that will “seize up if you don’t oil it”.
Angela added: “Although I’m not like a Ferrari any more, I feel like a well-preserved vintage model. If you keep moving, keep supple and maintain a decent level of fitness, you’ve got a great chance of staying well. Keeping fit is really good for every part of your body.”
She also said she needed to stay in shape for her current role – as the presenter of BBC One’s Rip Off Britain.
She said: “My job requires me to be physically fit. People don’t realise that sometimes I’m on my feet for up to 14 hours a day when filming – and there are all the early starts and late finishes too.
“I used to ride horses competitively and still do all sorts of things. I go to Pilates, cycle, power walk and play tennis regularly. So staying fit has always been part of my lifestyle. I feel better when I’m active.”