Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips has reignited the debate about ageism on the show, expressing concerns about how older women are treated and their experiences on the hit BBC programme.
Arlene, 81, who was controversially replaced in 2009 by the younger Alesha Dixon, has long been a critic of how older women are perceived in the entertainment industry.
Her removal sparked an outcry of ageism accusations, and over the years, she has continued to advocate for a more inclusive approach towards women of all ages.
Arlene has now opened up about her feelings towards how older female contestants fare on Strictly.
Speaking to Express Online at the Women of the Year Awards, Arlene admitted: “I don’t particularly like the way older women are perceived [on the show].
"I don’t like that there is a certain, there are some people who are phenomenal as they age and it’s not that they should have danced before, but the one thing I don’t like about Strictly is many of the older women who take part are really serious about it, as they should be, but they also take it to heart and that breaks them as women."
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She expressed that while older contestants may approach the competition with a sense of seriousness, that very attitude can make the experience overwhelming and, in some cases, damaging.
“So if you are totally willing to engage in it in a way that oh I’m doing this for me, I don’t care what I do, I don’t care what people say, I’m just going to have a go and if I’m sh*t, I’m sh*t, just come along and laugh at me and not many people can do that. So I think for some it’s been a bad experience. And Strictly should never be a bad experience."
Arlene continued by emphasizing that the essence of Strictly should be about joy, not distress.
“Strictly should be about fun, heart, kindness. And it’s not in some cases and it’s not that it’s Strictly’s fault but it’s the way that some people arrive and go ‘what is this?’ We all know what it is, it’s been running for 20 years.
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It’s a mindset and I think they talk a lot about mindset now but I think also a lot of people need to be really cool [to go on the show].”
Reflecting on her own career, Phillips noted how crucial mental preparation is when stepping into any high-pressure environment.
“To be really frank when I was going into the jungle they spent so long talking to me. It was laid out time and time again, you know what you’re going to get and you know if you don’t like it, you know what that will result in.
Preparation is everything. Whether it’s a young person going into theatre for the first time. It doesn’t matter. Preparation is vital and I think that’s where Strictly needs to work on their celebrities to find a way forward."
Each year the annual lunch and awards celebrates the achievements of four hundred and fifty specially chosen women from across the UK and around the world who are doing remarkable work and making a difference to others.
Founded by Lady Antonella Lothian OBE, better known as simply Tony Lothian, the lunch and awards were created and launched in 1955.
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson has been passed the baton from Julie Etchingham to become President of Women of the Year.
Artist Dame Tracey Emin DBE won the Lifetime Achievement Award. Other attendees at the event included Lorraine Kelly and Myleene Klass.
