Strictly Come Dancing's Arlene Phillips says 'this is my one dieting tip'

Strictly Come Dancing icon Arlene Phillips has opened up about her 'one dieting rule' that helps her maintain her figure at 81. The esteemed choreographer and former judge on the hit BBC series also mentioned her interest in trying weight loss medication but confessed her fear of needles is a deterrent.

Dame Arlene, from Prestwich, who departed the show amidst controversy over ageism, candidly expressed she would have stayed on if she had the option. Speaking to The Times, she divulged her simple dietary strategy: "My only dieting rule is that wherever I go, I'll have a packet of chicory in my bag. Because if I'm hungry and ready to reach for crisps or a Cadbury Dairy Milk Wholenut bar, I will then say to myself, 'No! You've got your chicory.'".

Yet, she acknowledged that as she navigates her 80s, she's inclined to indulge more freely from time to time: "This has not been a good year for my weight, not at all. Sometimes I make a decision that I'm going to eat frugally and carefully, and my mind can stick with it. Other times I just think, 'You're in your eighties - you can have what you want. Make sure you're enjoying everything you eat! '".

In terms of weight loss solutions, she confided: "I wish I had the courage to go on Ozempic. I don't like injections and I don't know how highly it has been tested to make sure it is OK. But I'd love to lose these extra 14lb that seem to have attached themselves to my body. I'd like to make it easy."

The esteemed dancer, who graced the judging panel of Strictly Come Dancing from its inception in 2004 until 2008, was succeeded by Alesha Dixon in 2009 amidst rumours of age discrimination against older women on TV, which the BBC robustly refuted. Reflecting on her departure, she