Arlene Phillips OBE (born 22 May 1943) is an English choreographer, theatre director, talent scout and former dancer, who has worked in many fields of entertainment. She is most notable for being the choreographer of numerous West End and Broadway musicals, films and television shows, but is perhaps most famous for being a judge on the popular BBC1 television series Strictly Come Dancing from the show's inception in 2004 until 2008.
Phillips was ...
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Arlene Phillips OBE (born 22 May 1943) is an English choreographer, theatre director, talent scout and former dancer, who has worked in many fields of entertainment. She is most notable for being the choreographer of numerous West End and Broadway musicals, films and television shows, but is perhaps most famous for being a judge on the popular BBC1 television series Strictly Come Dancing from the show's inception in 2004 until 2008.
Phillips was born in 1943 and grew up in the city of Manchester, England. She is Jewish and has a brother called Ian and a sister called Karen. At the age of 15, Phillips lost her mother who had been suffering from Leukaemia and died aged 43. Her father died a few years later having suffered from Alzheimer's.
Phillips originally wanted to be a ballet dancer and began dance classes at the age of three, studying ballet and tap dance at the Muriel Tweedy School in Manchester. Her mother had always expressed a desire to dance, which led Phillips into pursuing...
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