Tuesday, 28 July 2009

Arlene Phillips fans vow to boycott Strictly Come Dancing

BBC receives 1,500 complaints about her exit

Arlene Phillips will be The One Show's Strictly Come Dancing correspondent

Arlene Phillips has received a surge of support from Strictly Come Dancing viewers.

The TV judge, 66, was axed from the BBC show last month and replaced by series 2007 winner Alesha Dixon, 30.

But nearly 1,500 fans have complained about the decision.

‘I am furious Arlene’s been shifted to The One Show,’ one fan wrote.

‘I’m boycotting in protest that the BBC seems to think we don’t mind grey-haired men but women get shuffled off when they are deemed too old.’

Meanwhile, Arlene has been approached by ASDA to be the face of its Moda fashion range, aimed at women in their mid-40s and over.

‘Arlene is very flattered to be asked,’ her spokesman tells the Daily Mirror. ‘She will make a firm decision next month.'

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One in September.