Strictly Come Dancing star Angela Rippon made history this weekend as the oldest ever contestant to perform on the BBC ballroom show.
And while the 78-year-old broadcaster wowed viewers and judges alike with her impressive flexibility and THAT high leg kick, she has admitted her age is something that “does concern her” on the show.
Angela said Radio times that she had wanted to do the show for years, but only now got the chance.
She told the publication: ‘The first words out of my mouth were, “Why didn’t you ask me that ten years ago, when I was much younger?”
‘I’m doing Strictly this year because it’s the first time they’ve asked me.’
Unbelievable: Strictly Come Dancing star Angela Rippon, 78, made history this weekend as the oldest contestant ever to perform on the BBC’s ballroom show, but admits her age ‘concerns her’
But despite making a late appearance, Angela is determined not to let anything hold her back.
She continued: ‘When I look at the younger people I know I’m not as fit or strong – that’s just a medical fact. But I play tennis, I take pilates and ballet classes, so I’m pretty fit for someone my age.
“I told my professional partner, Kai, that there are things I can do and things I can’t do. I just want to do everything right. I told him: ‘Challenge me.’
Angela, who presented the original version of the program Come Dancing, is working with professional dancer Kai Widdingtron.
Angela and Kai performed the Cha Cha Cha to Shirley Bassey’s version of the Pink! song Get the Party Started and received 28 out of 40 points on Saturday.
During the routine, Angela shocked the judges and viewers when she showed off her incredible flexibility and stretched her leg over her head.
And it looks like their relationship is getting a lot of credit for Angela’s brilliant performance.
She explained: ‘I love him already. We hit it off when we met… We laughed during our first meeting. I’m a very happy bunny that it’s Kai.
Candid: The broadcaster has captivated viewers and judges alike with its impressive flexibility
‘Happy Bunny’: Angela, who hosted the original version of Come Dancing, teams up with professional dancer Kai Widdingtron and says she already ‘loves him’
Come Dance! Angela hosted the original version of the show in 1988
‘I said to the producers, ‘I need someone strong, patient and with a sense of humor.’ He has all these qualities, and he is a brilliant dancer and choreographer. He and his partner, Nadiya Bychkova, are both fantastic.”
As for what’s next after Strictly, Angela explained that she just wants to keep working, in a profession she ‘adores’.
She said: ‘People told me, ‘They will never hire anyone over 50.’ Well, there’s me, Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville, and we’re in year 15 of Rip Off Britain – we’re still hanging in there.”
On Saturday, Angela amazed viewers with her performance.
She looked sensational in a silver fringe mini dress as she performed to Shirley Bassey’s cover of Pink’s Get The Party Started before kicking her partner and lifting her leg for the dramatic finale.
Impressing, the duo scored 28 for their performance, briefly putting them at the top of the leaderboard.
On Twitter, one fan said: “I need some tips from Angela Rippon. I would love to dance like her and I’m literally half her age!’.
While a second wrote: ‘Angela Rippon’s leg though!’.
Someone else joked: “When I grow up I want to be Angela Rippon.”
And: ‘I want Angela Rippon’s legs!’.
What a star! Despite appearing late on the programme, Angela is determined not to let anything hold her back and wants to be ‘challenged’
It comes after Angela admitted she finds Strictly training ‘very grueling’ and her legs ‘feel like they’re going to collapse.’
In an interview, Angela shed some light on how her training with professional partner Kai is going.
She said The mirror: ‘My legs feel like they are about to collapse.
‘I know what I should do, I know what it should feel like, it makes my legs work to the music. I just get angry and frustrated.”
Angela continued, “I’m exhausted. There are pieces of me that hurt that I didn’t know I had. I enjoy doing it and I like the things I do well. But I get really angry with myself when I totally mess up and do it wrong.”
Angela’s Strictly stint comes 47 years after she stunned the 27 million viewers of Morecambe and Wise’s 1976 Christmas special by emerging from her newsreader’s desk and performing a racy dance routine, in an era when journalists never ventured into light entertainment.