Angela Rippon may be the oldest Strictly Come Dancing contestant, but she’s as fit as ever.
The 78-year-old is hitting the ballroom alongside the likes of EastEnders actor Bobby Brazier, Family Fortunes star Les Dennis and Love Island’s Zara McDermott.
‘Having been a fan of Strictly since day one, and as a former presenter of Come Dancing, this will be quite an adventure for me,’ she said when announced as part of the line-up.
‘A scary one, considering I’m about to be 79. But I’m really looking forward to the challenge, and perhaps being able to learn to dance the Argentinian Tango!’
And it looks like she’s already impressed head judge Shirley Ballas, who previously told Metro.co.uk: ‘She can do the splits, you know?’
‘If her dancing is as elegant as the way she stands and talks, then we’re in for a real treat,’ she added.
Now, Angela has spilt the tea on just how she stays so fit.
Chatting to Metro.co.uk, when asked how she’s still so flexible, the TV presenter simple said: ‘Because I’ve kept fit all my life.’
She went on: ‘For the job that I do, you need to be fit because you never know what you’re going to be asked to do next.
‘And a lot of the things that I’ve done in television have been very physical.
‘Nobody thought twice about asking me to go diving with great white sharks or swim with killer whales in the Arctic Circle or abseil down Table Mountain.
‘You never know what you’re going to be asked to do.’
As if that wasn’t enough to show off how fit she is, Angela added that she’s been in instances where she’s had to be on her feet for 12 hours.
‘You can’t do that unless you’re fit!’
To keep her fitness levels so high, Angela added that she plays tennis regularly too.
Speaking about Strictly, she insisted: ‘It’s a challenge, but it’s one I’ve decided I’m going to enjoy.’
Angela’s career spans over 50 years, having presented a wide variety of programmes from hard news and current affairs, to quiz shows and magazine programmes for broadcasters across the world.
She currently presents BBC’s Rip-Off Britain and is a regular on Morning Live and The One Show, she presented the original Come Dancing between 1988 – 1991 and has fronted shows such as Top Gear, Antiques Roadshow, The Holiday Programme, Crufts, How to Stay Young and The Truth About Dementia to name a few.
In 2004 she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to Broadcasting, Charity and the Arts, then in the 2017 New Year Honours Angela was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to dementia care.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday, September 16.
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