Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips said she is still a fan of the show, but dislikes the judges’ comments part.
As always, Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Buke, critique the dancing duos after every performance and later give them a score out of 10.
Arlene, 80, knows all too well about how the show works, but believes the comments section is now “far too long”.
She said: “The one thing about Strictly that I don’t really enjoy any more is the segment with the judges’ comment.
“I think they go on far too long. I usually just fast-forward those bits.”
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Of this year’s line-up, Arlene revealed she has previously worked with theatre star Layton Williams, who has been impressing judges with his moves since the beginning.
She added to OK! Magazine: “It’s always going to be exciting watching someone like Layton Williams, who I’ve worked alongside in the past and who calls me ‘Auntie Arlene’.
“But I equally can’t take my eyes off the likes of Amanda Abbington and Angela Rippon. They’re electric!”
Contestants with dance experience usually receive backlash as many claim they are more at an advantage than non-dancers.
Regardless of this however, Arlene says Strictly nowadays is about “who the public fall in love with” instead of the best dancer.
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This has certainly been proven in the past with the likes of Bill Bailey, Stacey Dooley and Kelvin Fletcher taking the Glitterball trophy in recent years.
Last year, little known Hamza Yassin and new professional dancer Jowita Przystał were also crowned winners over the likes of much loved presenter Helen Skelton and the show’s long-term pro Gorka Marquez.
So far this series, the dancing duo at the top of the leaderboard has changed by the week, most recently with Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu scoring the highest points.
Arlene was a judge on the panel for four years from 2004 to 2008, alongside the late Len Goodman, Craig and Bruno Tonioli.
In 2009, she was replaced by former winner Alesha Dixon, who is 35 years younger than her.
Arlene said she had no warning or explanation about her exit at the time, which went on to spark an ageism and sexism row.
In 2021, the professional dancer said she wished she “demanded” more answers from the producers about her exit.
She said: “As a woman I should’ve thought about it. I should’ve demanded why the woman had gone, and three men remained.
“I should have asked them to analyse it. I should have had the strength to at least ask for reasons and if not getting the reasons, a damn well apology.
“But I didn’t have the strength, I didn’t have the will. I was pathetic,” she added on Natalie Anderson’s podcast The Capsule: In Conversation.
The BBC has always denied that ageism played any role in her departure.
Read the full interview in OK! Magazine out now.
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