Angela Rippon is just a few days away from her first Strictly Come Dancing routine of the series after being coupled up with Kai Widdrington.
The 78-year-old and her pro partner are hard at work in the rehearsals studio putting the finishing touches to their debut routine but it's fair to say it's been far from plain sailing for the TV presenter.
In a new video shared by Widdrington on Instagram, Rippon gave fans an insight into how preparations are going and admitted she's susceptible to the odd slip-up.
"So here we are! We finished our first Monday of the week for the live show," Widdrington said to the camera in their first video from rehearsals.
"I'm exhausted," Rippon chipped in before she remarked: "There are bits of me aching that I didn't know I had."
Widdrington paused for a moment before he quipped: "We'll leave that one to the imagination."
Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington in rehearsals ahead of their first dance
INSTAGRAM/KAI WIDDRINGTON
Rippon let out a laugh before her Strictly partner probed: "How are we feeling about our dance? We can't tell them what it is yet."
"Um, I'm enjoying doing it and I'm fine when I get the bits right," Rippon admitted before she touched upon the frustrating aspects of the routine.
She continued: "But I get very angry with myself when I absolutely muck it up and do it wrong."
"You do, you say, 'Oh, knickers!' Knickers!" Widdrington teased. "It's very funny - but we're having fun!"
"We are!" Rippon echoed before the pair said their farewell to fans on the social media site.
Despite Rippon's frustration in the practice studio, she and Widdrington have still endeared themselves to Strictly fans already, with many tipping the pair to go far in the competition together.
Soon after the pairing was announced by Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, one fan took to Twitter to praise: "Rooting for Angela Rippon and Kai!!! Great pairing #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing."
While a second echoed: "Couldn’t be more happy with Angela Rippon getting Kai - the tradition of it is going to be beautiful to watch. #Strictly #SCD."
Another added: "I think Angela and Kai pairing will work, they might suprise us. I think they will make it pretty far #Strictly."
And a fourth also weighed in: "Angela and Kai seem like a great fit. #strictly." (sic)
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Angela Rippon is hoping to prove any doubters wrong on this year's Strictly BBCIt isn't just Strictly fans who think Rippon has what it takes to lift the Glitterball Trophy despite being the oldest contestant in the dance competition's history.
GB News spoke with former Strictly pro Ian Waite who tipped Rippon to go the distance as he highlighted the key ways in which she's prepared herself to see off her younger competitors.
The other pairings to complete this year's Strictly line-up are:
- Adam Thomas and Luba Mushtuk
- Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice
- Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu
- Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe
- Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell
- Eddie Kadi and Karen Hauer
- Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola
- Jody Cundy and Jowita Przystał
- Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lauren Oakley
- Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin
- Les Dennis and Nancy Xu
- Nigel Harman and Katya Jones
- Nikita Kanda and Gorka Márquez
- Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima
