Arlene Phillips on her 'legacy' and who she wants to win Strictly

Phillips came from humble beginnings growing up in Greater Manchester and rose to the very top of her profession through sheer graft and determination. 

Her extensive list of achievements is far too long to mention, with her four-year spell as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing and being the lead choreographer of British dance troupe Hot Gossip arguably the most prominent. 

But after climbing the mountain and reaching the summit, what is the 81-year-old’s main motivation? It seems that now more than ever, the adage of ‘family comes first’ is what resonates most with the mother and grandmother.  
Arlene Phillips, 81, has had a varied and incredible career

Prestwich-raised Phillips said in an interview associated with WhichBingo: “I woke up this morning and I thought, how am I going to sort out everything? 

“I've done this vast catalogue of shows, music videos, and Olympic and Commonwealth Games involvement. There's this massive body of work. I've got that. I've created that. Where does it sit when I leave this earth? 

“But also, it's brought to my attention that I need to slow down because I have two granddaughters and I want them to know me. My mum passed away when I was young, when I was 15, and my daughters never knew their grandmother on my side.  

Arlene on the Strictly panel (Image: Alamy Stock Photo)

“I have two grandchildren; Lila who’s three and Emme who’s five. I want them to know me. So that takes time away from my work, but I love my work. I've been so fortunate.

"And it does continue, it does go on, but I definitely am taking time away; to collect the volume of work that I've done and think about how I leave that legacy, but also to make sure that everything I do now will be for a purpose, because it will have an impact and have a story that will resonate. So, while looking at the past, I'm thinking about the future.” 

With family serving as Phillips’ main motivation at this stage of her career, she spoke about the delicate balancing act of choreographing two versions of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express musical. 

Arlene is a world-renowned choreographer She is also taking a huge amount of satisfaction gained from her role as executive co-producer for the musical Toys, alongside Paul Morrisey. 

“At the moment, there are two versions of Starlight Express. One in Germany that's been running for 36 years and now a different version in London of the same show. That keeps me busy going from one to the other,” Phillips continued. 

“Those are sort of permanence in my life and something that makes me really proud. I've also got a sweet little musical opening in December called Toys. That is a children's musical and that feels the right thing to do. But I'm actually producing this with Paul Morrissey; we're doing it together and that's a real change.  

“Producing doesn't mean you have to be in a rehearsal room for six weeks, where there are long days and long nights. Often those days are rarely eight hours, and go on much longer.  

“I can actually do it working from home and it's rare to work from home, but also for this particular production – Toys - I had worked with the writer and the music composer of this story for many years in my life [Phil Edwards - original drummer in Starlight Express], from 1984 onwards.  

Arlene Phillips was born in Prestwich “And sadly, he passed away a year ago. So, I definitely want to do this with his name, with his legacy, and bring out Toys here, because I know that was his dream.” 

No conversation with Phillips, 81, would be complete without her thoughts on Strictly Come Dancing – a show which catapulted her back into the limelight as a judge between 2004 and 2008. 

Despite her unceremonious exit from the series, she recounts her time on the show with so much fondness and warmth. 

“Oh, I loved being on that show,” she explained. “I loved my role as a judge. And obviously, it was chaos when I found out from a radio station that I was leaving. And that, to me, was bigger than actual leaving itself. 

Dame Arlene Phillips DBE “I wasn't taken into a private room, talked to about why they didn't want me to stay, how it would have felt if I'd had my own choice in stepping out, and instead it became the most chaotic thing I've ever experienced in my life.  

“And it really, truly upended me because my manager [Michael Summerton] had sadly passed away the day before I found out and I had no one to talk to.  

“But I always loved the show. When we started, the show was this tiny little production with Bruce [Forsyth] kind of taking the reins and leading everybody. And it has grown into such a massive - not just here - but worldwide show. 

“Now there's so much riding on it for people, both celebrities and for the pro dancers as well. It can be life-changing. So, I feel like there's more pressure around it. Whereas the show was always full of joy, and it should always be full of joy and the joy of dancing.  

The I'm a Celeb contestants in 2021 “I advise any celebrity that's going into the show, remember, you are learning to dance from the greatest professionals, the best choreographers, the best teachers. Just take it for what it is. However many weeks you're there, however many weeks you're not there, you have gained something in your life that's precious - hang onto that.” 

When asked who she would like to win this show, Phillips singled out comedian Chris McCausland and TV personality Tasha Ghouri as her two favourites from this year's series. 

“Oh, I love Tasha [Ghouri] and Chris [McCausland]. There are some very interesting contestants this year, and the final could be a complete surprise, because, as I say, it's going to be who the public falls in love with.”