{"id":69120,"date":"2023-09-19T10:36:21","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T10:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geels.net\/?p=69120"},"modified":"2023-09-19T10:36:21","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T10:36:21","slug":"strictly-legend-arlene-angelas-going-to-smash-it-age-is-no-barrier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geels.net\/beauty\/strictly-legend-arlene-angelas-going-to-smash-it-age-is-no-barrier\/","title":{"rendered":"Strictly legend Arlene: Angela\u2019s going to smash it …age is no barrier"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The 80-year-old show legend says TV host Angela, who will turn 79 during the series, is flying the flag for older folk.<\/p>\n

Former Strictly judge Arlene said: \u201cShe is amazing.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is going to just smash it. She was a beautiful dancer though didn\u2019t make dance her career. She will take to the ballroom styles on the show \u2013 I can\u2019t wait to see her get down and do Latin.<\/p>\n

\u201cAge is no barrier to dance \u2013 people who dance are immersed in it. For them, getting up to dance is like getting up to walk.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough your body is not the same when you get older I think Angela will pull it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arlene spoke as the start of the latest series was watched by an average of 6.2 million viewers at the weekend.<\/p>\n

That was up on last year\u2019s kick-off, which was seen by an average of 5.4 million, while 2021\u2019s launch drew in seven million.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s show, when the 15 celebrity dancers were teamed up with their pro partners, had a 6.7 million peak.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: <\/strong> Vanessa Feltz on Strictly: Let’s bask in the joy of Angela Rippon<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Some stars were told the dance they will perform in their first live show. Ex-Love Island contestant Zara McDermott will do the cha-cha with Graziano Di Prima while Bad Education actor Layton Williams will be trying the samba with Nikita Kuzmin.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile former Coronation Street favourite Ellie Leach, paired with Vito Coppola, was horrified when she was informed that she would be dancing the jive for her first live performance.<\/p>\n

The launch episode also included a tribute to the late dancer Len Goodman, who became a judge on the BBC programme in 2004 and made his final appearance on Strictly\u2019s Christmas Day special in 2016.<\/p>\n

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Len, who was known for crying out \u201cSeven!\u201d on the show, was diagnosed with bone cancer and died in April aged 78.<\/p>\n

The Strictly professional dancers and its judges also performed a number in honour of their \u201cWelsh dragon\u201d colleague Amy Dowden.<\/p>\n

The 33-year-old dancer said in June that she had had a mastectomy after discovering she had stage three breast cancer and so would be unable to appear on the show this time.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s debut episode also featured a dance from the contest\u2019s emotional reigning champions Hamza Yassin and pro partner Jowita Przystal.<\/p>\n

The pair re-enacted their Week Four salsa performance from the last Strictly, and there was a rendition of Free Yourself from British singer Jessie Ware.<\/p>\n