Inside Angela Rippon’s home life from her painful divorce, ‘private’ relationships and her family as she becomes Strictly’s oldest contestant

Strictly Come Dancing star Angela Rippon made history this weekend as the oldest ever contestant to perform on the BBC ballroom show.

The 78-year-old broadcaster, who presented the original version of the program, 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 points out of 40.

During the routine, Angela shocked the judges and viewers when she showed off her incredible flexibility and stretched her leg over her head.

Angela is best known for her successful career in journalism, but she tends to keep her personal life out of the spotlight.

Where does Angela live?

The TV presenter has a property in London but is believed to split her time between the capital and Devon, where she was born and raised.

Angela previously said that she always spends the holidays with her family in the coastal location. While her main residence is in Kensington, West London.

Speaking to The Times in 2017: ‘I inherited the family home just outside Tavistock on the edge of Dartmoor when my mother died. The extended family, including my godson and his wife, always come there at Christmas.”

In addition to owning homes in these two locations, Angela also owns a one-bedroom apartment in Juan-les-Pins in the South of France, which she said is the perfect place to ‘entertain and get away from it all’ are’. .

Angela’s good friends Gloria Hunniford and Elaine Paige also have second homes in the area.

Is Angela married?

Angela married her high school sweetheart Christopher Dare in 1967 at the age of 22 and they lived together in a 17th century cottage in Devon.

The couple first met at a YMCA when she was just 17 and were together for 20 years before divorcing in 1989.

After they ended things, Angela didn’t speak publicly about their divorce for over a year, by which time Christopher was living with his now-wife Judy.

Angela has since opened up about the ‘painful’ breakdown of their marriage, during an interview with Modern&Mature.

She said: “It was obviously stress,” she said. ‘It was a very stressful period for all kinds of reasons. My immediate feeling was, “Oh God, I have failed at this.” But actually he and I are still good friends.’

The media personality’s relationship with Christopher is now in a much better place, revealing how they talk on the phone a few times a month.

She is also friends with his new partner and says: ‘He now lives in Spain with his partner, with Judy. We exchange cards on birthdays and Christmas,” she said.

‘Judy keeps me informed about what they are doing with their house in Spain. It’s a good relationship for all of us.’

Is Angela in a relationship now?

Angela has previously spoken about how she has been enjoying long-term ‘private’ relationships away from the spotlight since the end of her marriage.

Speaking to Prima in March this year, Angela said: ‘I was married for 25 years and when we separated, Christopher told me: ‘I was tired of people coming to our house’.

‘It made me realize that if you do work that is public, you have to respect your partner’s privacy. Hardly anyone – except my very close circle of friends – would know who my partners have been over the years.”

Despite being in loving relationships, Angela admits she has no plans to walk down the aisle again in an effort to avoid any more emotional turmoil.

Speaking to Mail Online in 2015, Angela said: ‘I’ve discovered that I’m really happy being single. If I’m honest, I think it’s painful to have your heart broken, and I don’t want to go there.”

Does Angela have children?

Angela never had children, but she has revealed that she is close to her godson and two “honorary goddaughters.”

Her godchildren are the sons and daughters of two of her best friends.

She said: ‘I’ve had young people around me. I was there when they were babies and I watched them grow up, so I feel like I have a surrogate family of sorts.”