Broadcaster Angela Rippon looks back: ‘I want to age disgracefully. It’s much more fun’

The former newsreader on her career’s many twists and turns, her mother’s dementia and why she’s still working – and dancing – at 80

Born in 1944 in Plymouth, Angela Rippon is a British journalist, newsreader and presenter. Her career began at 17 as a photojournalist for the Western Morning News. In 1975, she became the first female journalist to permanently present the BBC national news; she has since hosted Top Gear, Antiques Roadshow and Rip-Off Britain as well as becoming the oldest contestant to compete on Strictly Come Dancing, in 2023. She is an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society and is supporting the charity’s Forget Me Not appeal.

This photo was taken for the cover of the 1980s exercise LP Shape Up and Dance. Normally, I would have had bare feet if I were dancing, but the producers asked me to wear little pink shoes, which seemed incongruous. Nevertheless, I was quite happy in this outfit. What’s fascinating is that I still meet women who ask me, “Have you got a spare copy? Mine’s worn out.”