‘Strictly Come Dancing’ star Angela Rippon has been told her former show ‘Come Dancing’ was a big career inspiration for many professional dancers.
Strictly's Angela Rippon inspired many pro dancers thanks to Come Dancing presenting job
The ‘Rip-Off Britain’ host - who is the oldest contestant ever to take part in the BBC Latin and ballroom show, which is hosted by Claudia Winkleman, 51, and Tess Daly, 54 - has spoken to many fans who cite 'Come Dancing', which ran from 1949 to 1998, as the “reason” they got into dancing.
The 78-year-old broadcaster told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “One person came up and said, ‘You are the reason I am a professional dancer, because I used to persuade my mum to let me stay up and watch ‘Come Dancing’ when you were presenting it.
“At least three other guys and girls have come up and said, ‘Our teacher was a contestant when you were presenting the programme.' "
Angela revealed when she was approached to take part in the upcoming 'Strictly' series - which also features presenter Angela Scanlon, 39, soap star Bobby Brazier, 20, and ‘Channel 4 News’ anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy, 57, among others - she wondered why she wasn’t asked a decade ago.
She said: “The first words out of my mouth were, ‘Why didn’t you ask me 10 years ago?' "
Angela - who will be judged by a panel that consists of Shirley Ballas, 63, Craig Revel Horwood, 58, Anton Du Beke, 57, and Motsi Mabuse, 42, when she takes to the floor with her as-yet revealed professional partner - feels there is “no pressure” on her since she only presented the former version of the programme, rather than performed on it.
She said: “There’s no pressure because I presented ‘Come Dancing’, I didn’t dance on it.
"This is just the other side of the coin. I’ve been around dancers a lot and it’s lovely to actually now be among dancers, doing it myself.”
Tagged in Claudia Winkleman Anton Du Beke Angela Rippon