Lesley Joseph has admitted that frequent references to her age left her feeling “frustrated” throughout her time on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
The ‘Birds Of A Feather’ star was eliminated from the show over the weekend, and, at 71 years old (sorry, Lesley!), now holds the title as the oldest female contestant in ‘Strictly’ history.
However, she’s now insisted that she didn’t appreciate how often her age was brought up while taking part in the show, while others’ weren’t mentioned.
When the ‘Loose Women’ panellists admitted they felt this was “unfair” during Wednesday’s (26 October) show, Lesley added: “I know. It was frustrating, because a lot of people on that programme have had injuries, and I’m fit as a flea.
“I’ve got a huge natural energy, I always have, [to panellist Linda Robson] you’ve known me 27 years, you know what I’m like. I’ve literally been doing 15-hour days for the last two weeks and now I’m raring to go, I want to dance. That’s all I want to do.”
In the lead-up to this year’s ‘Strictly’, Lesley was quick to point out she wouldn’t be letting her age slow her down, saying shortly before hitting the dance floor for the first time: “ I’m 70, I am the age that I am. A lot of people were saying, ‘poor Anton’. They don’t know me! I’ve got more energy than the rest of you put together.”
Despite admitting she was “devastated” to be out, Leslie was quick to defend acts like Ed Balls’ place in the competition during her ‘Loose Women’ appearance, insisting: “The thing is, it’s a very weird programme.
“You can’t actually say ‘they’re a better dancer, they should [stay]’, it’s an entertainment show. People will vote for who they want.”
Lesley’s exit comes right before this weekend’s Halloween-themed live show, with the spooky songs and dances the remaining couples will be performing having now been revealed.
‘Loose Women’ airs every weekday at 12.30pm.
