‘I do it every morning without fail’: Angela Rippon reveals her one non-negotiable for sculpted legs at 81

Angela Rippon has surely reached national treasure status. Whether it’s from her days reading the news for the BBC, her appearance as the oldest contestant ever on Strictly Come Dancing, or stretching away in adverts for smart meters (yep, the ones with the fake Einstein), every generation knows the iconic journalist. And at 81, she’s definitely known for her fitness and flexibility. Remember when she did the splits on Strictly? And before that, on The One Show?

Her wellbeing comes down to a consistent commitment to both nutrition – she has a vegetable-focused diet and does plenty of batch-cooking – and fitness. In an exclusive interview with Good Housekeeping, Angela revealed the exact moves she does to stay in such great shape in her 80s. Surprise, surprise: it’s all about dance. Specifically, ballet.

‘I go to ballet class whenever I can,’ Angela tells Good Housekeeping. ‘I’m a great advocate for dance being the best form of exercise for your mind and your body.’

One non-negotiable for the broadcaster is spending 10 minutes or so stretching every single morning. ‘I do it every day without fail,’ Angela shares. ‘Even if I’m on a really tight schedule and in a very small hotel room.’ There’s no need for bulky weights or any special tools, just a small amount of space.

Angela has an unexpected form of inspiration for this particular commitment. She tells us: ‘Think about a cat. A cat might sleep for five hours, but when they get up, they stretch absolutely everything. I feel that after I’ve been sleeping, that’s what I need to do to get everything moving again.’

When it comes to specific stretches, Angela likes to mix things up with various moves she’s picked up from tai chi and yoga, but there’s one ballet move she returns to – and credits for her incredibly toned legs: a classic plié. ‘I’ll do 20 pliés in the morning, because that’s really good for your balance, your knees, your posture, your core strength, for everything,’ she shares. ‘Ballet is a wonderful thing for keeping your legs in good shape. It builds the right muscles in your calves and thigh.’

Angela is quite right about the benefits of pliés and ballet moves more broadly. Stephanie Lamm, a fitness coach and founder of Stephanie Chapman Coaching, tells GH: ‘Ballet inspired fitness is an excellent form of exercise because it combines strength, mobility, balance and flexibility in one low-impact workout. Many of the movements take joints through a full range of motion while requiring control and stability, which helps maintain mobility as we age. Ballet fitness also strengthens the deep stabilising muscles around the hips, core and ankles, supporting better posture, coordination and everyday movement. Unlike some high impact forms of exercise, it’'s gentle on the joints while still providing a very challenging full body workout.’

Stephanie points to a plié as a fantastic move, noting that it ‘strengthens the legs, glutes and inner thighs’. ‘Because a plié requires the body to maintain an upright posture and engage the core, it also helps develop balance and stability,’ she adds. ‘When performed regularly, pliés can improve lower body strength, support joint health and help maintain functional movement patterns that are important for everyday activities such as sitting, standing and climbing stairs.’

Queen Camilla is another noted fan of ballet. Angela previously revealed that she convinced Camilla, 78, to become a Royal Academy of Dance ‘Silver Swan’ and take part in classes for learners over-55. ‘She takes the classes very seriously,’ Angela revealed earlier this year. ‘We were just talking about the way in which dancing really is a brilliant way of getting fit and keeping fit.’

How to do 3 essential ballet moves:

Want to take a leaf out of Angela’s book and get your ballet skills en pointe? Kim Hawley, GH’s fitness expert, breaks down three movements to master.

First position

‘This can literally be done anywhere as it is simply standing… with a twist,’ Kim explains. ‘Stand tall with your heels together and your toes turned out. This external rotation of the hips helps improve hip stability and engages the glutes and other muscles around the hips and pelvis.’

Plié

‘From first position, slowly bend your knees as far as is comfortable while keeping your heels on the floor. This movement builds strength in the front of the thighs (quadriceps) as well as the glutes, while also improving mobility in the ankles, knees and hips.’

Élevé

‘Another classic ballet movement, the élevé can help strengthen the feet and ankles, improving balance and stability. From first position, rise on to the balls of your feet and slowly lower back down with control.

‘It may not be Swan Lake, but at least you won’t need to buy a tutu.’