Dame Arlene Phillips gets mistaken for Shirley Ballas
Dame Arlene Phillips gets mistaken for Shirley Ballas
The 82-year-old star was a member of the judging panel on Strictly Come Dancing between 2004 and 2008
Arlene Phillips
(Image: Getty Images )
Dame Arlene Phillips says people regularly confuse her with Shirley Ballas.
The 82-year-old star was a member of the judging panel on Strictly Come Dancing between 2004 and 2008 but revealed that she often gets mistaken for the current head judge on the BBC's Saturday night staple in public.
Speaking to the i newspaper, Arlene said: "People come running up to me shouting, 'Shirley! Shirley!' and I have to say, 'No, I'm the other one!'"
Phillips was controversially replaced on the Strictly judging panel by Alesha Dixon in 2009 – with the move sparking ageism allegations and drawing over 2,000 complaints from the public – but she largely ignored the furore.
She explained: "I guess I... I didn't notice it that much at the time. I wrapped myself in my world and got on with life."
Arlene added: "(People approach me) all the time to say, 'You should never have gone!'"
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The star revealed that she continues to watch Strictly Come Dancing in "bits and pieces" as she remains good friends with her former judging colleague Craig Revel Horwood and choreographer Jason Gilkison.
Arlene said: "(I watch Strictly) in bits and pieces on catch-up. It's rare I'd sit still on a Saturday night for a couple of hours but I'm also close to Jason Gilkison and I love watching the big dance number he's created."
The choreographer, who was the oldest-ever contestant on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! when she took part in the 2021 series of the ITV reality show at the age of 78, is working on a gender-flipped take on William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream and has no plans to retire any time soon.
She said: "Why would I, when there are so many interesting opportunities out there? New ideas keep you young."
Meanwhile, Arlene previously hit out at the trend for politicians appearing on Strictly Come Dancing and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! as she thinks it's wrong for them to "make fools of themselves" and play "silly little games" in front of the viewing public.
She told the Daily Mirror newspaper's The Diary column last year: "I'm not big on politicians, even ex-politicians, going into the jungle or dancing on Strictly.
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"I actually don't like them making fools of themselves.
"We try to teach our children and grandchildren to respect people who are governing and running the country, not going on shows, doing silly little games."
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