Arlene Phillips: ‘I’ve had no cosmetic surgery’

Dance queen Arlene Phillips says she has no plans to slow down, as she prepares to celebrate her 70th birthday.

The former Strictly Come Dancing judge says she still feels full of life: “I’ve always felt charged with an energy.”

In interview with Hello! magazine ahead of turning 70 on May 22, she said her secret to looking good is to keep a young mind.

“I have friends who are almost as old as I am, who just don’t let age take its toll, feeling that they can go on doing what they’re doing and being who they want to be,” she said.

Asked whether she would consider winding down her career, the choreographer replied: “Not yet.”

Although she has admitted using botox and fillers to stay looking youthful, she said she has yet to resort to surgery.

“There are times when I long to look younger, to match my mental age, but I don’t want to look bionic, as I’d feel totally foolish,” she said.

Phillips said she would be up-front about it if she ever did decide to go under the surgeon’s knife.

“I want to be really open and say, ‘I’m going to have one last stand’. That’s the way to do it. Not pretend.

“But I’m not ready at the moment. I feel that, secretly, I want to be accepted. I want to be loved. I want to be okay the way I look.”

Phillips came to prominence in the dance world by creating the hugely popular dance group Hot Gossip.