Angela Rippon gets birthday surprise from Strictly partner
Strictly Come Dancing professional Kai Widdrington gave his former celebrity partner Angela Rippon a special surprise on her birthday.
The veteran broadcaster appeared on last night's (October 11) The One Show on the eve of her 80th birthday, and during her chat with hosts Alex Jones and Roman Kemp, Kai popped up for an unexpected reunion.
Following a video montage about her career and a birthday message from Strictly judge Shirley Ballas, talk turned to Angela's 2023 Strictly partner, Kai Widdrington. Angela said the pair of them still spoke all the time, with Roman adding that Kai was sorry he couldn't be there.
However, a surprise was to come when Roman and Alex said they needed to cut to the BBC newsroom for a breaking bulletin.
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A clip of Angela presenting the news from back in the day played, before transitioning to Kai in the present day.
Following a brief series of clips of him dancing throughout the BBC building, Kai turned up in The One Show studio to present his friend with a bouquet of flowers.
"You didn't think I would miss this, did you?" he said as they shared a hug.
Kai Widdrington reflects on his friendship with former #Strictly partner, broadcasting legend @TheAngelaRippon 🥹#TheOneShow 👉 https://t.co/X4vEFG2k09 pic.twitter.com/ssEVo0oPpC
— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) October 11, 2024
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The duo talked about their friendship, with Kai saying that although he is 51 years younger than her, he feels like he's known her for 51 years. They explained that they talk to each other every day, with that day being a rare exception.
Kai explained that the only reason he hadn't spoken to her earlier in the day was in order to maintain the surprise, stating: "I didn't know whether to be like, 'Oh, good luck on The One Show because I didn't want her to think something."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. The One Show also airs weekdays at 7pm on BBC One.
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