Apparently, Angela Rippon, 78, can still do the splits as she joins Strictly

Strictly Come Dancing’s back and bigger than ever boasting a list of hopefuls even judge Shirley Ballas can’t wait to see foxtrotting across the ballroom floor.

Teaching the likes of Zara McDermott, Adam Thomas, Amanda Abbington and Krishnan Guru-Murthy to wiggle their hips in time – the stage has been set, but there’s one budding dancer, in particular, that’s got the judge, 62, extra excited.

Angela Rippon, 78, was announced as part of the new season’s lineup and aside from being the TV legend that she is, she already has a huge fan in the professional ballroom dancer.

Sitting on the Strictly judging panel – alongside Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse – the queen of Latin revealed she had a sweet history with the veteran newsreader.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, Shirley reflected on her career as a dancer herself and shared her connection to the show’s latest star.

She explained: ‘I’m doing a bit of fangirling. I’ve got Angela Rippen who was the host in the 1991 United Kingdom Championships at the BIC centre in Bournemouth when I danced – I made final that year – so I’m fangirling over her.

‘If her dancing is as elegant as the way she stands and talks, then we’re in for a real treat.’

Adding a surprising tidbit on the end of her revelation, she fondly offered: ‘She can do the splits, you know?’

Pondering over who else captured her attention during the cast announcement, the star admitted: ‘Also Krishnan, the news reader. I watch him every day so I’m very excited. I’ll be fangirling over him.

‘Layton Williams – my son was musical theatre trained so I’ll be watching as he’s our same sex partnership. So that will be fabulous, I’m sure.

‘And we’ve got actors and actresses and hosts and DJs and broadcasters, Love island’s Zara. So, I think we’ve got a great lineup so far with nine being released.’

Amid the BBC One show’s big news, Shirley had important messages of her own to spread before taking her judging seat in the autumn once more.

Following the death of her brother by suicide, the dancer became an ambassador for the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and set out on a series of challenges to raise awareness.

On Wednesday, the TV star completed one of three adrenaline-fuelled adventure tasks in an effort to shed light on the resources provided by the organisation.

She sped off down a zipline in North Wales and kicked off her Skyathlon challenge with an almighty bang, revealing ‘I was terrified. I felt that my brother really helped me. His spirit today helped me do that.’

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5video

The famous face reflected on why she felt so strongly about campaigning for suicide prevention and said: ‘I took on this charity because my brother took his own life about 20 years ago and recently I’ve had a student that was with me for a long time, take her own life at 38.

‘I wanted to do something that was impactful and that and that makes a difference in people’s lives. I’m terrified of heights, but there’s nothing that terrifies me more than the thought of one more person taking their own life by suicide or one more family having to suffer what my mother and I have suffered.’

She continued outlining the help CALM offered through their services: ‘What I love about CALM is they have a helpline that answers calls for help every 59 seconds.

‘So to anybody out there who knows somebody who’s living miserably or they’ve lost someone to suicide and you need a little support – this is the place to go to.’

To donate to Shirley’s Skyathlon head to https://www.thecalmzone.net/skyathlon

Need support?

For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

If you’re a young person, or concerned about a young person, you can also contact PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide UK. Their HOPELINK digital support platform is open 24/7, or you can call 0800 068 4141, text 07860039967 or email: [email protected] between the hours of 9am and midnight.

Source: Read Full Article