Dame Arlene Phillips has finally “accepted” her controversial ouster from Strictly Come Dancing as a judge – but insisted she will never “forgive” BBC bosses.
The 81-year-old choreographer and talent scout was a member of the inaugural judging panel when the hit dance show launched in 2004, alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman.
But in 2009 it was announced that Arlene had been dropped as a judge and would be replaced by Alesha Dixon.
This sparked a backlash as people accused the BBC of discriminating against older women, something the broadcaster denied.
Speaking to Mirror Speaking on Friday about how she feels about it 15 years later, Arlene said: “Accepted, but not forgiven.
Dame Arlene Phillips has finally “come to terms” with her controversial exit from Strictly Come Dancing as a judge but insisted she will never “forgive” BBC bosses, it was reported on Friday (pictured Sunday)
Speaking to The Mirror on Friday about how he now feels about his sacking, he said: “Accepted, but not forgiven” (pictured on the show in 2008).
“Yeah, I’ve moved on. I guess that’s something to be happy about, and I can always look back on it: I was there in the pilot, when nobody thought this show was going to be a show.”
Arlene claimed in April that the BBC “never apologised” or gave her a reason for why she was axed from Strictly Come Dancing.
Talking about How to Fail, by Elizabeth Day In a podcast, Arlene now claimed that she was never even given a reason for “not being invited back.”
During the podcast, Arlene also revealed the format of the dance show and admitted that the panel was “positioned” according to different stereotypes, of which she was encouraged to be the “stern” judge, who was only allowed to wear black jackets.
‘‘I didn’t leave,’ Arlene said. “I was not invited back. And I think that makes a big difference. If I had left the show, it would have been my choice.
“In fact, to this day I feel like I wish it had been talked about. I wish they would have come to me and said, ‘We’re not going to keep you in office,’ and what the reasons were, so I could adjust to it.”
Arlene added: ‘Of course, no one apologized. We went to meet two (or maybe) three weeks later, but we just asked each other: “What can we offer you in return?” Nothing, at all, for any reason.
‘The truth is, I don’t think they thought I was good enough. That’s the truth. That’s what really hurts, because I felt like I was a good judge.
The choreographer and talent scout was a member of the inaugural judging panel when the hit dance show launched in 2004, alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman.
On Wednesday’s episode of Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail podcast, Arlene now claimed she was never even given a reason for “not being invited back” (pictured, at the Olivier Awards in April).
The former dancer said the most concrete information given that came close to being the reason for her dismissal was that the show was “rebranding.”
Arlene was known for being a particularly tough judge on the show, which meant that celebrities really had to work to impress her.
But she has now revealed that her role as a “tough” judge was orchestrated, as she was “positioned” as that person from the start.
She said: ‘Certainly when Strictly started I was positioned in this role of being the ‘stern, only allowed to wear black jackets’ kind of judge.
‘I was pretty much only allowed to wear black jackets. Yes. I had two smart, designer ones, and the rest were from Next or M&S.’
Arlene added: “And in some ways you are positioned in this role. And believe me, Judging on Strictly is a role-playing game. It’s a role-playing game for everyone… it always has been.”
In 2009 it was announced that Arlene had been dropped as a judge and would be replaced by Alesha Dixon (pictured).
Last month, Arlene paid tribute to her friend and fellow Strictly judge Len a year after his death during an appearance on Loose Women (pictured in 2012).
MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment.
In March, Arlene criticised the BBC by revealing that… She learned that she had been removed from her position as a judge When a journalist called her.
In an interview with The Guardian, Arlene explained that what angered her most was the way the BBC handled the sacking, explaining that she first found out about it when a radio show called her for comment.
“I was already an adult when I did that programme, so I’m upset that the BBC didn’t come to me as soon as they came up with the idea,” she said. ‘Rather than knocking my confidence, I think it just swirled around me and I thought, “I need to find myself.”
“It took all the mental preparation I could muster to say, ‘Wait a minute, you had a great career before this and you’ve got a job secured.'”
Arlene was known for being a particularly tough judge on the show, which meant that celebrities really had to work to impress her.
Arlene recalled the “crazy moments” the couple shared and said she often listens to recordings of his voice.
Last month, Arlene paid tribute to her friend and fellow Strictly judge Len, a year after his death during an appearance on Loose Women.
Arlene recalled the “crazy moments” the couple shared and said she often listens to recordings of his voice.
Speaking on Tuesday’s show, Arlene added: ‘The joy is the fact that you can go to your computer, open it up and you can get all these wonderful… ‘I’m just a dance teacher from Dartford’ or whatever and you can listen to them.
“So just hearing his voice brings back the crazy times we shared.”
