‘Strictly is wonderful. It brings a lot of joy’
Last week, Arlene Phillips posted a video on Instagram of her eldest granddaughter, Lila Primrose, dancing with excitement about the return of Strictly.
Phillips is certain that at least one of her granddaughters, oneyear-old Emme Bow, will follow in her footsteps.
“Lila likes her ballet but I think she will give it up at some point. But the little one just loves it and I think she is already seeing herself as a dancer,” she said. “Their mum, Alana, was a dancer and she’s well aware that you should only go into this difficult world if you are ready for rejection and if you are ready for a life of hardship, quite frankly.”
Phillips, who gave birth to her youngest daughter Abigail at 47, spoke earlier in the year about how awful she felt when she was replaced as a judge on Strictly 13 years ago. She said she has never been given a reason for her dismissal although it was widely rumoured it was due to her age. It even led to Harriet Harman, then minister for women and equality, raising the issue in the House of Commons.
Despite everything, Phillips says she is still a fan of the show.
“There are some good people in Strictly this year,” she added. “I’m in and out with it. I’m not very good at watching two hours of it but I definitely love to look in on the dancers. I’ll follow certain dancers and see how they are getting on.
“It’s a wonderful show and brings so much happiness to so many people.”