Arlene Phillip has recalled the 'awful' moment she found out she'd been axed from Strictly Come Dancing while consumed with grief at the loss of her beloved manager. The Prestwich-born dancer, choreographer, and TV star appeared as a judge on the BBC One dance show from 2004 to 2009.
She was one of the original judges alongside Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli when the show launched. In 2005 and 2006, Arlene was a judge for the spin-off series Strictly Dance Fever, also by the BBC, to find dancers wishing to join the chorus of a West End musical.
However, as the 2008 series of Strictly came to an end, which was won by Tom Chambers, the BBC announced that several changes would be made to refresh the show in 2009. It was until the summer that Arelen's exit was confirmed and she was replaced by former Strictly winner and current Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon, who was 35 years her junior.
READ MORE: Britain's Got Talent act and ITV hit back amid latest viewer complaints
But to this day, the 78-year-old still doesn’t know why it happened. "I never really got an answer. They said, ‘You’re on a one-year contract and we can let you go,'" Arlene has told The Times. "I could never say it was about my age. But I could not say exactly why I was let go because I never really had an answer.
"The day before I found out this news via a phone call from a radio station asking would I talk about it — and I had no clue as to what they were talking about. You know, I thought it was nonsense. It was first thing in the morning."
It also came as her manager, Michael Summerton, had just died. "I no longer had a place on Strictly, but no agent, no one, to deal with it. It was a really awful moment," Arlene recalled. "I loved Strictly. I have no answers as to why and I wasn’t really strong enough to find the answers. You know, I didn’t have it inside me. It was so unexpected. There was no warning, no discussion. Nothing. There were never any conversations."
And Arlene's exit from Strictly caused quite the reaction and led to an unprecedented intervention from the then Minister for Women and Equality, Harriet Harman. During a session in the House of Commons, Harman responded to questions stating that she believed the decision to drop Arlene Phillips was motivated by age discrimination, and called on the BBC to ensure that she would be taking part in the new series.
This didn't happen and the BBC did not formally respond to Harman's request. However, it did repeat its initial comments that the decision was not due to age.
Despite the drama surrounding her exit, Arlene says it was one of her favourite gigs. "Oh, I loved it! I loved judging," she told the publication. After Strictly, Arlene went on to become the executive producer and creative director for the ITV series Britannia High and returned to a judging role on the UK version of So You Think You Can Dance?.
Then, in November 2021, she became the oldest ever contestant to appear on ITV's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Now though it is all about her new production of Grease and The Cher Show, which she’s directing while former Strictly star Oti Mabuse is the choreographer.
And at 78, she is still dancing. "I’m nowhere near as good as I was," Arlene told The Times. "My gosh! You know, when I look back now I could outdance most of the guys I was working with. But, you know . . . it doesn’t last for ever."
