Angela Rippon has said she feels her enduring broadcasting career is the perfect “revenge” for the ageism that has been directed at her over the years.
The veteran broadcaster is currently competing on Strictly Come Dancing, and recently sat down with Woman’s Weekly to discuss her life in the spotlight.
During the interview (as reported by the Evening Standard), Angela claimed that BBC bosses told her when she was in her 50s that she’d “had [her] day” and needed to “make room for the other women coming up behind you”.
She noted: “I’m well into my 70s and I’m still doing a full-time job in television and broadcasting, so I suppose that’s my revenge for having to listen to that kind of patronising twaddle!”
In recent years, Angela has fronted the short-lived ITV entertainment show Amazing Greys, lent her voice to the BBC gameshow The Wall, hosted coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding for Australia’s Channel Seven and, more recently, served as a relief presenter on the divisive station GB News.
So far, Angela and her Strictly professional partner Kai Widdrington have impressed both the judging panel and viewers with their performances, most notably week one, when she displayed her flexibility during her Cha Cha Cha routine.
This week, she and Kai are taking on the Rumba to Conchita Wurst’s Eurovision-winning signature tune Rise Like A Phoenix.
Strictly continues on Saturday night at 6.30pm on BBC One. Read Angela Rippon’s full interview in the new issue of Woman’s Weekly.