Strictly Come Dancing star Angela Rippon was defended by Big Brother series two winner Brian Dowling amid a wave of backlash, as he admitted during an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk that she’d been one of his favourites to win.
“For her age, the fact that she can get her leg up to her nose and I can barely bend my knee at 45, I’m like ‘Go, Angela!'” the Irish presenter exclaimed.
He also suggested that his favourite celebrity to win would be either her or the “other” Angela, fellow Irish star Angela Scanlon.
Brian had previously danced with Angela Rippon’s pro partner Kai Widdrington on the Irish version of the show back in 2020, and his fond memories of it meant he found himself rooting for the pair.
“[Kai and I] did the same-sex dance way before it was done in the UK. I was so nervous about doing it because it meant so much to everyone, so I would love to see Kai win it and either one of the Angelas,” Brian reflected.
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Angela Rippon had endured difficult backlash the week before her eventual elimination, with some fans angrily declaring that they saw the show as a “fix” after she won the dance-off against newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
That was in spite of the 79-year-old receiving generous praise earlier in the competition after impressing with her flexibility when she showcased the splits.
However, the attacks didn’t seem to faze Angela, as she revealed that getting to the coveted Blackpool Week stage of the competition in the first place had been “beyond her wildest expectations”.
The star, who’d made history by becoming the show’s eldest contestant ever, took to social media at the time to exclaim that sailing through to that round had “definitely” not been “a given”.
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Brian also addressed another popular contestant on the show, exclaiming that Layton Williams is “fabulous” and “super, super talented”, after exclaiming he’s sure Angela Scanlon “will be in the final”.
Meanwhile, the former Big Brother star has just broken the news that he’s landed himself a regular slot on Ireland’s Six O’Clock Show alongside Katja Mia.
The pair will be a replacement for Karen Koster and Greg O’Shea, after they stepped down last week.
He has also discussed the possibility of becoming a host on This Morning alongside Cat Deeley, after revealing he’d worked with her on previous shows.
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“Cat and I worked together for seven months – we were on SMTV:Live together and that was so much fun,” the TV presenter reminisced.
She is now believed to be a strong contender for a full-time hosting role on the show, and Brian would welcome the chance to work with her in the future.
“I’d be a fool to say ‘Don’t mention my name in that conversation!'” he exclaimed, before adding that although he now has a one-year-old baby to care for with husband Arthur Gourounlian (also a TV star) he believes “living in Ireland and working in the UK is possible”.
Brian Dowling Gourounlian was speaking exclusively to The Express on behalf of Paddy Power Games.
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