DAME Arlene Phillips has spoken of her resentment at being dumped by the BBC as a Strictly Come Dancing judge.
The choreographer, now 80, was on the show from 2004 to 2008 before being replaced by Alesha Dixon, then 30, sparking allegations of ageism.
Dame Arlene, who rose to fame in the 1970s as leader of raunchy dance troupe Hot Gossip, said she found out she was no longer a judge while listening to the radio.
She added: “I was a grown-up when I did that show, so I resent that the BBC didn’t come to me as soon as they had the thought.”
But Dame Arlene, also an award-winning West End choreographer, said she refused to let it knock her confidence.
From tongue scraping to saying no, here are 12 health trends to try in 2023
"More than knocking my confidence, I think it swirled around me, and I thought: 'I need to find myself,'" Arlene said.
"I needed all the mental preparation that I could muster to go: 'Hang on a minute - you had a big career before this and you've got work lined up.'
"I think I stepped up and out of it as fast as I could.
"When the rollercoaster goes down, find the up."
Arlene also spoke about she enjoys being able to spend time with her granddaughters.
"My daughters grew up not knowing my mum, so I always vowed I'm going to be the grandmother I would have loved my girls to have," she said.
"I want to give them the love that my mother gave to me, make sure I always have time for them every week, no matter what."
