I am beginning to get fed up with Arlene Phillips and her opinions on the strictly contestants.
I felt very sorry that we lost her as a judge, but she is fast losing sympathy with me and I am sure many others with her constant jibes.
It apears that she has 'written off' Gavin and Tina and referred to Ann Widdicome as a joke too far.
It makes me wonder if when she was a judge she made her mind up who should win on the first night ? if so it's a good job she went.
I thought the whole idea was to judge people on how much they improved throughout the series ?

She does appear to have let rip. Writing off two contestants right at the start doesn't seem her style at all, is this her being very bitter and letting off steam?

I liked her as a judge - though some of her metaphors were painful and too forced. This seeems to be a bit of an unfair rant.

We will have to see what she says on Twitter about it today, unless she decides to just lie low. I wouldnt be at all suprised if she said it but that it was overheard at some party or other.

Given the source, it's probably not entirely true. But I'm not surprised she hasn't learnt from the John Sergeant debacle - she doesn't seem to think Ann will last very long, but it's horrible remarks like she's making which will get Ann the sympathy vote and keep her in the competition!

I never liked Arlene much as a judge, her metaphors were terrible, and I haven't yet been able to forgive the disgusting remark she made to Ola a couple of series ago....

Thank you Arlene for reminding me why i don't miss you one bit from the show.

I completely agree - she showed a complete and utter lack of professionalism on more occasions than I care to remember, ranging from personally insulting the celebs or professionals to lying about her own personal favourites to try and prolong their survival in the show, even though they weren't popular with viewers.

Despite all her protestations to the contrary, Arlene is clearly still bitter. Why else would she have accepted a gig last year with the media empire gunning for the BBC and happy to attack SCD as part of its campaign? While I don't disagree that the BBC managed her exit badly, she must be appallingly thick-skinned (or pathologically stupid) if she can't see she was somehow responsible for her own downfall. Arlene is like the ghost of Strictly past - and, as time marches on, her opinions become ever less relevant ...

Its apparantly in Hello so would seem she was paid for it. She is an odious woman.

Well said Servalan! I totally agree with you.

Arlene's comments are both inappropriate and totally unprofessional.

I never liked her as a 'judge' and I'm so glad she's gone.

If Arlene wanted to keep the moral high ground over her leaving Strictly, then she should not make any comments at all. I doubt though if she is able to do that - she just can't help herself.

Last year when she was the One Show Strictly correspondent she predicted Chris Hollins would be the first to leave! Perhaps this should encourage Tina and Gavin!

How glad I am she is no longer a part of the show. Now if we could just get rid of Bruno and Alesha, the judging panel might not be the worst thing about Strictly any more...

Quite - especially when someone's waving a cheque book at her ...

AND she said poor Ali was about as sexy as a pomegranate.

How very dare she!

(At least, I think it was a criticism)

I agree with Arlene re Ann Widdecombe though.

Nothing against AW but what the hell are SCD producers thinking dragging AW to compete and make her a laughing stock by the public which let's face it must be the MO of these producers in the first place.

They obviously thought John Sargeant worked last time so they might as well use the same formula ie get an old, unfit, & not good looking celeb in the world of politics & make that person the talking point & laughing stock of the show....that way their PR didn't need to work extra hard to generate new weekly publicity for the show to compete with XFactor.

And of course AW didn't have to do it either but hey, probably as far as she's concerned it's the fees she can't refuse.

Personally I don't want to see someone like AW competing on a show like this & I blame those damn producers....like Arlene said it's a joke too far.

Hell hath no fury and all that. Mind you, I would still prefer her to Alesha. At least Arlene knows something about dancing.

To be fair to Arlene, she was asked for her opinion and she gave it - fairly and squarely. I have no time for the "loveys" in showbiz/dance who are afraid to speak the truth as they see it. And up to a point I agree with her. Judging by the launch show Gavin Whoever-he-is didn't look as if he had a rhythmic bone in his body, and though Ann may well be very fit and flexible as she claims, but will she ever look nice as a dancer? She could be good entertainment though!

Thank you - this puts it perfectly. For the first time today, looking at the AW training video, I felt sorry for her and furious at the BBC for being so unkind. She and Anton look plain ridiculous together.

I just hope this comes back to bite the BBC somehow.

I wouldn't like to comment on how sexy Ali was or wasn'y, but she was certainly lacking any personality.

I don't think she should have made these comments as it doesn't portray her in a very good light at all. Is she doing a column for the Sun again this year?

However, her comments on Ann do raise an interesting point. I do wonder if the producers are almost trying too hard to cast another 'John Sergeant' for the show. I am certain that Ann will not be going anywhere during the first couple of weeks but i think if the comedy act is too forced that people could get bored of it after 4/5 weeks so I am not sure she will last as long as John did.

I remember reading an interview before the series started where she said she would be bringing a but of sex appeal to the show... I raised an eyebrow I have to say!

Arlene's a private individual, she's surely entitled to express her opinion?

"dragging"?


"dragging"?

As has been said many many times, John Sargeant was hardly a poor abused bunny - you don't get to be chief political correspondent of the BBC by being a delicate thin-skinned flower in the first place.

Also, he somehow managed to survive the horrendous experience of being paid tens of thousands of pounds to dance with a gorgeous blonde half his age, and:


So I'd imagine AW has precisely that aim. She's not exactly a peaceful dove, you know?

I too agree with Arlene on this one - plus the fact that AW does not have a sense of irony unlike John Sergent - though I dislike her politics she does seem nice enough and I am uncomfortable at the thought of people laughing at her

I've read Arlene's remarks twice to make sure I didn't miss anything and still can't find anything to get particularly worked up about tbh

Anyway, I have every confidence that in the forthcoming series the current panel will be able to do much better than Arlene's anodyne comments, and I'm even more sure that this forum will be jumping with outrage about it and calling for the head of the worst offender

AW knows exactly what she has got herself into and exactly what role on SCD she's been engaged to provide. She hasn't been forced against her will and understands precisely what is going on. Which is surely her prerogative?

Were you uncomfortable with people laughing at JS? Or, indeed, any SCD contestant who couldn't cut the mustard? AW is no different. Why are people making out like she's some kind of poor victim of the 'evil' BBC?

I understand why Arlene is coming out with similar such comments - she has an axe to grind and/or she's being paid for them - but AW is far from a shy, retiring woman and is perfectly capable of speaking up for herself ... if she feels the need to do so - which she patently doesn't at the moment!