Dame Arlene Phillips has joked that Craig Revel Horwood is still the meanest Strictly Come Dancing judge around as she joined guests at the 2024 Daily Mirror Pride Of Britain Awards With TSB.
The 81-year-old dance legend was a judge herself on the BBC series for the first six seasons from 2004 until 2008 - where she sat alongside 59-year-old Craig. Dame Arlene was among the stars attending the awards show at Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Monday where she reflected on her judging past.
Speaking to the Mirror, the star shared her throughs on Craig - who continues to give scores on Strictly. She said: "He's softened a little," before joking: "Has he still got the bite? Oh yes, he can be a b****!"
Dame Arlene went on to share praise for the Pride of Britain Awards and the good work that is spotlighted through the ceremony. She said: "These are my favourite awards because every year it always makes you think what it means to be a true, kind human being and over and over again you're looking at people doing things that you never actually imagine a human being can do. I've got my tissues with me - they come with me!"
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Daily Mirror)The dance legend continued: "I never have experienced something in my life that you see here. These people are chosen for their bravery, their extraordinary, unbelievable challenges as if it's nothing. Heroes, truly."
Ahead of the 2024 event, awards host Carol Vorderman reflected on the past quarter of a century of ceremonies - of which she has presided over them all. She said: "When we did the first show 25 years ago, it was very unlike what we have now.
"It had awards like Sports Personality of the Year, Politician of the Year and Businessperson of the Year, but there was also this essence in the middle of it. I think there were about six awards, so the survivors of the Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland, for instance, were one set of people.
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"And there was a wonderful young woman who had meningitis and lost some limbs as an adult, who went on and finished her training as a doctor. Everybody in the room – around 300 celebrities – shut up for once and listened. You just knew, standing on the stage, there were no cameras or anything at that event, that this was something special."
Daily Mirror 's Pride of Britain Awards celebrates its 25th anniversary as we recognise those extraordinary people who continue to make our country a very special place to live.
Dozens of huge stars, from Oscar winners to chart-toppers and world champions, will celebrate the extraordinary achievements of winners, including awe-inspiring children of courage, fundraisers, campaigners and lifesavers as they come together to make the occasion. They may be there in big numbers to show their support, but the stars are not big names from showbiz, TV, film, music and sport. Instead, the celebrities are the ones doing the applauding as they pay tribute to unsung heroes from communities across the UK.
Carol co-hosts the ceremony alongside Ashley Banjo, and the awards celebrate the achievements of truly remarkable people who make our world a better place and inspire others. The duo became close after the former Countdown presenter met Ashley's brother, Jordan, in the I'm A Celebrity jungle in 2016.
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