Angela Rippon: Age is no barrier to being able to live well and have a happy life

Beloved TV presenter and former news anchor Angela Rippon has truly done it all. She made history as the first female national newsreader on the BBC’s Nine O’Clock News, has fronted a wide range of popular programmes including Antiques Roadshow, Top Gear and Rip Off Britain and, just two years ago, she became the oldest contestant ever to compete on Strictly Come Dancing at 79.

Now, with her 81st birthday fast approaching, this passionate presenter has no intention of slowing down.

“The thing that keeps my energy levels flowing is that I do things that I enjoy and I am uniquely privileged that for almost 60 years now, I’ve been doing a job that I absolutely love, and for whatever reason, I’m still being able to do it,” says Rippon. “I am still working in television, interviewing people, presenting things and that keeps my mind alive. It keeps me alive physically, getting up early in the morning, working all day, working on scripts and having to read lots of material.”

One of her absolute non-negotiables is her daily morning stretches.

“If you ever watch a cat get up from sleeping, the first thing they do is stretch and that’s what I do,” shares Rippon. “I do a series of stretching exercises for 10 to 15 minutes every single morning of my life wherever I am, even in small hotel rooms when I’m filming. I get everything moving, everything working and that’s how I start my day. That is my non-negotiable.”

She shares that an interview she conducted in her 20s with Eileen Fowler – a leading figure in movement and exercise in Britain during the Forties and Fifties – continues to inspire her steadfast dedication to staying active.

“Eileen said ‘You have to remember, the body is a machine. It is full of millions of moving parts, like any other machine. But also like a machine, if you don’t keep those parts moving and exercised and working, they will seize up, they will rust’,” recollects Rippon. “Eileen really encapsulated how I feel about myself and my own attitude towards my own mental and my physical fitness, and that has stayed with me all my life. It has never changed.

“I really do believe in keeping fit as we get older because it helps to strengthen your core, improve your balance, maintain your posture and your gait, which means that as you get older you’re less likely to have a fall. If you keep your body active and moving all your life, you’re less likely to find that your life and your lifestyle is restricted in any way.”

Another key part of her fitness regime is dance classes.

“I try to ensure that each week, on at least two, if not three, days, I do some other form of extended exercise, so I will still go to ballet class when I can,” says Rippon. “What I have got out of dance is that it has helped me keep fit and have fun. Now I’m about to be 81 and am still incredibly fit, very supple, very flexible, and it’s enabled me, physically and mentally, to be still very fit and very alert.”

Her love for dance stems from going to dance classes as a child, and the TV presenter says she is thrilled that she has been able to weave this passion into her wide-spanning career.

“Even though I’m not a professional dancer and never have been, I’ve managed to do what the Japanese always say very often, which is “if you want a good life, try and combine a passion with your profession” and I managed to do that,” says Rippon. “My passion for dance has worked its way into my profession as a broadcast journalist, with programmes that I’ve done, films that I’ve made, and things which I’ve been involved over the years.

“I’ve danced twice at the Royal Variety Show, I danced with Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise famously on their Christmas show in 1976 and then two years ago now, I danced on Strictly Come Dancing.”

The beloved TV presenter is extremely passionate about the life-changing effects of dance, so is spearheading a national Let’s Dance! campaign, which aims to encourage everyone, particularly older adults, to experience the physical, mental and social benefits of dancing. She knows firsthand how dance classes can connect people and help forge friendships.

“If you go to any dance class, people are meeting each other and laughing. You are never lonely or isolated in a dance class,” says Rippon. “In the ballet group that I go to, when it’s somebody’s birthday they will celebrate it and when it’s Christmas they all go out and have Christmas lunch together.

“You really make friends, which is terrific, because dancing makes you feel happy. I’ve never seen anyone dance without a smile on their face, it’s just something that is really enjoyable.”

“As you get older, you should think in terms of making an investment in your wellbeing pension plan,” advises Rippon. “When you can’t do things like run marathons anymore, you can still dance. You can dance all of your life. You can dance even if you become unwell, you can dance in a wheelchair. There’s no limit to what you can do if you listen to music and let your body move to it.”

Her longstanding commitment to staying active motivated her to support Age UK’s Act Now, Age Better campaign, which encourages people to make small, proactive changes that could help improve their physical health and the quality of their later years.

“For the people who are thinking, ‘oh I’m getting old now, I can’t do that’ this is a campaign which will make them think again. It will hopefully make them realise that actually there are lots of things they can do. Age is no barrier to being able to live well and have a happy life.

“Just put your head above the parapet and find out what else is going on out there that is a challenge or fun. Just join and if you don’t get your pleasure out of it, go find something else! Just treat every day as the opportunity to do something new.”

Age UK’s Act Now, Age Better campaign raises vital awareness of the importance of making small changes to help improve the quality of our later years. For more information, visit: ageuk.org.uk/actnow