Yahoo News Strictly's Anton Du Beke addresses "mad" Angela Rippon conspiracy theory
Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has addressed a conspiracy theory regarding Angela Rippon.
Angela and professional partner Kai Widdrington became the latest couple to be eliminated from the series on Sunday (November 19), with the pair's final dance coming at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool.
The presenter had a history at the venue owing to her time as host of Come Dancing, with some fans remarking that the voting process was rigged to ensure that Angela made it to that week.
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In an interview with Jane Garvey on Times Radio, Du Beke ridiculed the theory, saying Angela and Kai deserved to make it that far based on their ability alone.
"Are you mad? If she was terrible in week one she'd have been first to go," said the judge. "It doesn't really work that way. We had the opportunity as judges to eliminate, and we chose not to because she was worthy of a place in the dance-off to stay in the competition.
"Because the suggestion is that we care more about who stays and who goes out than we do, we don't care. [It] makes no difference to us. The producers don't speak to me – they don't come to me and go, 'Listen, we wouldn't mind if you kept such and such in.'"
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Angela spoke about her exit from the show during her appearance on It Takes Two earlier this week, with the presenter referring to her performance as a "full circle" moment in her career.
"It was lovely to be back," she said. "What was smashing was talking to the professionals – for many of them their parents or teachers had been competitors when I was presenting. It was fascinating to get that full circle – having been a presenter in Blackpool I was now a dancer there."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays and Sundays 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.
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