Smashing pins at 70! Game, set and match to Angela
SHE high-kicked her way into TV history with that unforgettable appearance on the Morecambe and Wise Christmas show way back in 1976.
And nearly 40 years later ex-newsreader Angela Rippon and those remarkable legs were stealing the show again as she challenged West End star Elaine Paige to a tennis match in Spain.
Leaping expertly around the clay court, 70year-old Miss Rippon had the skills and stamina of someone half her age. She crouched down for the low shots and stretched up to reach the top volleys directed her way by her 67-year-old opponent.
And she looked the part too, dressed in a sleeveless polo shirt and a white and blue pleated skirt which served to show off her enviable legs.
She and Miss Paige played for around 90 minutes at the La Manga Club in southern Spain. An onlooker said: ‘Angela had the reach and athleticism of someone 20 years her junior but Elaine at around 5ft tall is a very good, stylish ground stroke player with a powerful and cultured backhand. Both were very competitive.
‘I don’t know what the score was but it was clear that Elaine had the power and tennis experience where Angela had the grace and height advantage. Both covered a lot of ground. They seemed to be enjoying it but it was quite serious too.’
As well as tennis, Miss Rippon keeps fit with yoga, Pilates and power walks. Two years ago she claimed she could still do the splits.
In 1975 she became the first woman to regularly present the BBC’s Nine O’Clock News and a year later danced with Eric and Ernie. Recently she has co-hosted the BBC’s Rip Off Britain and ITV quiz show Amazing Greys.