Angela Rippon’s Strictly diary: ‘I feel like I’m impersonating a chicken’
My everlasting memory of last Saturday will be the sight of my dance partner, Kai, wearing lederhosen made out of green floral curtain material - his knees peeking out between the bottom of the breeches and the tops of his long white socks. Not a look I would recommend he wears again! But it was totally appropriate for the music we were dancing to, Do-Re-Mi from the film The Sound of Music, for Movie Week. I was Maria, he one of the Von Trapp children.
My transformation into Maria had started at nine in the morning, with two hours in hair and make-up. First up was a wig to copy Julie Andrews’s distinctive blonde bob. My own grey hair was captured under a skull-hugging cap, and then the wig was pinned in place with a hundred hairpins and grips. All right, I’m probably exaggerating, it was more likely about 20. But there was certainly enough ironmongery there to keep it in place for the next 12 hours. Rather worryingly, everyone said how well it suited me.
Then I was off to wardrobe, to be sewn into my costume so that nothing would move or come adrift during the programme. It was at that point that I saw Kai for the first time, in his green flowered shorts, long socks and floppy blond wig. And we couldn’t stop laughing. Fortunately there was a long break between the dress rehearsal and the actual programme, and we could pull ourselves together.
As we stood in the wings waiting for our entrance for the live programme later that night, the last thing Kai said to me before we walked onto the floor was “20 years training to be a professional dancer – and it comes to this”, as he flexed his naked knees. It made me laugh and chased away my nerves. And we made it through to another week.
On Sunday night, a whole gang of us were guests at the Pride of Britain Awards, where I presented an award to a wonderful man who had raised more than ￡1 million for Macmillan Cancer Support. The big surprise of the evening was meeting up with Dame Shirley Bassey, whom I’ve known for several years. She just threw open her arms and said, “Angela, you were all over the French newspapers. Your leg. How do you do that?” What she didn’t know was that I had been dancing the cha cha cha to her cover of P!nk’s Get the Party Started. She lives in Monaco, and had not seen the programme. I had to explain the whole thing, while she asked her PA to get the recording on catch-up. “I just have to see this,” she said.
Shirley and I last met up during the Monte-Carlo Tennis Masters, before the pandemic, so there was a lot to catch up on. And, of course, we both made memorable appearances with the great Morecambe and Wise on their Christmas specials. She, famously, with the leather boot. Me – again – with a dance (and a leg!).
Monday morning, we were back in the rehearsal room. For the quickstep last week it was all bent knees and keeping the upper body leaning away from my partner. For the rumba, its strong straight legs and a body position that almost defies description. Professional dancers make it look so easy and elegant to perform the “rumba walk”. Frankly it makes me feel like I’m impersonating a chicken.
I suppose the other thing to mention this week is that on Thursday I had a birthday. There were wonderful cards, messages and flowers from friends and family. But it was the last full day of training before Saturday’s live show. So there were our usual six hours of intensive work, a quick break for a slice of birthday cake, and a splash from a birthday bottle of perfume to disguise the now-familiar aroma of embrocation and muscle rub.
And while I wouldn’t exactly describe that as a party, it’s certainly a memorable way to spend this particular birthday.
Strictly Come Dancing is on Saturday on BBC One at 6.20pm; Sunday at 7.15pm; Rip Off Britain continues on BBC One, weekdays at 9.15am