Angela Rippon has been wowing the nation on Strictly Come Dancing in recent times – but in a new interview she has revealed she wishes she was asked on to the show years earlier.
At 79, the legendary broadcaster has begun the competition in fine style alongside her professional dance partner Kai Widdrington, with her Foxtrot, Rumba, Argentine Tango and Charleston all winning more than 30 points from the Strictlyjudges.
“If someone says, would you like to read the news, or present a quiz show, or do a consumer programme, or dance on Strictly Come Dancing, I always say yes please,” she said, in an upcoming interview by Jane Graham for The Big Issue’s Letter To My Younger Self.
“And most of the time, I’ve made the right decisions, and those challenges have been confirmed. Of course, Strictly is a huge challenge. I would have loved them to have asked me years ago. But finally being asked now is fantastic.”
Angela found fame as a news journalist and newsreader. But growing up in the West country, fame and acclaim felt very far away.
“Even at the age of 16, I knew I wanted to be a journalist,” she said.