Strictly legend Arlene Phillips reveals the brutal way she learnt she’d been axed from show

STRICTLY legend Arlene Phillips has revealed the brutal way she learnt she’d been axed from the show. The choreographer, 83, was on the BBC series from 2004 to 2008 before being replaced by a younger judge the following year, which left her completely blindsided. Strictly legend Arlene Phillips has opened up about her brutal axing from the BBC show Credit: Instagram/athomewithvanessatv Arlene was part of the original Strictly line-up Credit: BBC Arlene had been an original judge on the show, alongside the late Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli. But after being on the Strictly Come Dancing panel for four years, out of nowhere she was replaced by Alesha Dixon, who lifted the Glitterball trophy in 2007. Sign up for the TV newsletter Thank you! Speaking about the brutal way she found out, Arlene told Vanessa Feltz on her podcast: “My long time agent, beautiful, brilliant Michael Somerton, he passed away the day before, so I was like already a mess. let alone being told by 5 Live, ‘Good morning, we want to know how you feel about being replaced by Alicia Dixon on Strictly Come Dancing?’ “And it was like 7.15 in the morning and I said, ‘Sorry I’ve just had a bereavement, I’ll get back to you.’ More on Strictly Come Dancing “Put the phone down, like what are they talking about? Is this real? “Called every exec I knew, called everybody, I didn’t get through till 1 o’clock when one of their PRs called me and outside in my garden it was packed with press.” The former judge was axed in 2009 after four years on the show Credit: BBC The star had no idea she was going to be axed from Strictly Credit: BBC Arlene has previously discussed the impact being fired from the show had on her. She told The Guardian: “More than knocking my confidence, I think it swirled around me, and I thought, ‘I need to find myself.’ Most read in Reality “I needed all the mental preparation that I could muster to go, ‘Hang on a minute – you had a big career before this and you’ve got work lined up’. “I was a grown-up when I did that show, so I resent that the BBC didn’t come to me as soon as they had the thought.” Meanwhile, Alesha quit after the 2011 series and was replaced by Darcey Bussell. The current judging panel is made up of Craig, Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke.