Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips has shared her thoughts on the show’s most recent controversies.
The 82-year-old was part of Strictly’s inaugural judging panel when the show launched in 2004, alongside Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli. She left in 2008, after which she was replaced by pop singer and dancer Alesha Dixon.
The family-favourite show was hit last year by accusations of poor treatment by ex-contestants including Amanda Abbington, Zara McDermott and Laura Whitmore.
Last year,Sherlock star Abbington complained about her treatment from professional dancer Giovanni Pernice during rehearsals. The pair were partnered for the 2023 series of the dance competition, with Abbington dropping out for “medical reasons”.
The BBC issued an apology to the actor after a nine-month investigation upheld some of her complaints and cleared Pernice of the more serious allegations.
“I loved my time on Strictly and it was tough when I left, but I got up and carried on with life,” Phillips told The Times.
“I wasn’t there when accusations of bullying were made against some of the dancers, but I was quite strict when I started teaching. Then I realised there was a different way to talk to people when I had a child. I didn’t want to lose my temper.
“There are ways to get people to do as you want without shouting.”
Last year, Phillips admitted that she resented the manner in which she was axed from the show. She claimed she was informed that she was being replaced just a day after the death of her long-time manager.
“More than knocking my confidence, I think it swirled around me, and I thought, ‘I need to find myself’,” she told The Guardian. “I needed all the mental preparation that I could muster to go, ‘Hang on a minute – you had a big career before this and you’ve got work lined up.’”
She added: “I think I stepped up and out of it as fast as I could. When the rollercoaster goes down, find the up.”
Phillips maintained that the BBC did not inform her about their decision, claiming that she first heard about her departure when a radio show called and asked for her thoughts.
“I was a grownup when I did that show, so I resent that the BBC didn’t come to me as soon as they had the thought,” she added.
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