Angela Rippon can still do the splits 45 years after her famous high-kick routine on the Morecambe and Wise show.
The presenter and newsreader, 76, said she is still “very supple” thanks to her healthy lifestyle and dedicated fitness regime.
She said: “Some things I could do when I was, say 30, I can’t do now.
“But it’s important to maintain what you can do for as long as possible – then no one can ask more of you.”
Angela joined BBC national news in 1973 and became the first female journalist to present the news in 1975. She stunned an audience of 26 million people with her athletic performance in a ballroom dance sequence in the comedy duo’s 1976 Christmas special.
Angela was a founder member of TV-am in 1982 and moved to America to work for CBS in Boston in 1984.
Other presenting jobs have included Come Dancing, Top Gear, Antiques Roadshow, Crufts, Holiday Hit Squad and The Holiday Programme, and she now presents Rip Off Britain.
Angela told Platinum magazine that she needs to be in top shape to work.
“My job requires me to be physically fit,” she said. “Sometimes I’m on my feet for up to 14 hours a day when filming – and there are early starts and late finishes too.”
She added: “I used to ride horses competitively and still do all sorts of things.
“I go to Pilates, cycle, power walk and play tennis regularly. So staying fit has always been part of my lifestyle. I feel better when I’m active.”
Angela said she was advised by a woman she interviewed in her 20s to think of her body as a machine that will “seize up if you don’t oil it”.
She said: “Although I’m not like a Ferrari anymore, I feel like a well-preserved vintage model.
“If you keep moving, keep supple and maintain a decent level of fitness, you’ve got a great chance of staying well. Keeping fit is really good for every part of your body.”
