Strictly's Arlene Phillips issues plea to family and admits 'I don't need any more'

Edinburgh Live

13-05-2025

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Arlene Phillips has told her family that she plans to avoid something significant in her life, claiming that she doesn't "need any more".
Dame Arlene, a choreographer who served as the leader of the TV dance troupe Hot Gossip, worked as one of the original four judges on the popular BBC dance competition until she was axed in 2009.
Since then, Arlene, who turns 82 next week, has appeared on I'm A Celeb as the oldest celebrity contestant ever to take part in the show and has continued to be a key figure in the dance world.
Yet, as the theatre director and former judge faces her next birthday, she has revealed that she was presented with a certain question from her family that she ultimately dubbed a "very good idea."
Arlene told the Mail: "My family said, 'Do you just want to skip it?' I said, 'That sounds like a very good idea'. So, I'm skipping my birthday. I've had so many amazing birthdays - I don't need any more."
(Image: Getty Images)
In December last year, Arlene shared her secret to keeping her figure in her 80s, revealing that she has a "dieting rule". She went on to explain that she always has a packet of chicory in her bag.
It means that when she feels hungry and may be tempted to reach for crisps or chocolate, she can remind herself that she has the healthier snack readily available.
However, she also disclosed that sometimes she feels like she can have what she wants, saying: "This has not been a good year for my weight, not at all.
"Sometimes I make a decision that I'm going to eat frugally and carefully, and my mind can stick with it. Other times I just think, 'You're in your eighties - you can have what you want. Make sure you're enjoying everything you eat!'"
(Image: ITV)
She shared her views on weight loss jabs, saying she wished she "had the courage" but doesn't like injections. Arlene added that she'd love to lose the extra 14 lbs that "seem to have attached" to her body.
Arlene, who worked on Strictly Come Dancing from 2004 until 2008, was replaced by Alesha Dixon in 2009. Alesha won the show in 2007 prior to her appointment but was later replaced herself.
The panel now includes Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke. Meanwhile, Arlene has enjoyed a varied career, including in music videos with such legends as Tina Turner, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, and Whitney Houston.
She has also lent her choreography skills to huge musical and film productions, including We Will Rock You and the 1982 movie adaptation of Annie and the role of "creative dramaturg" in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express.