Dame Arlene Phillips, the beloved former Strictly Come Dancing judge, has made a profoundly personal and heartbreaking admission about her own mortality, revealing she would consider assisted dying if faced with an Alzheimer's diagnosis.
A Decision Forged in Personal Pain
The 82-year-old choreographer and dancer spoke candidly about her late father Abraham's battle with Alzheimer's, which she described as a "crippling" experience. Her father passed away in 2000 at the age of 89 after a long decline that began when Arlene was in her early 40s.
"My friends and I talk about this a lot," Arlene told The Times. "I think if I had Alzheimer's I'd like to go to Dignitas. So many people are against that, but it would be my decision. I don't ever want my daughters to go through what I went through."
The Agony of Watching a Parent Fade
Recalling her father's illness, she painted a vivid and painful picture. "It's like watching a train going in a tunnel and by the time it gets out the other side it's completely transformed," she said. The lack of recognition in his eyes was particularly devastating for the mother-of-two.
"You think, 'What about all the times you put your arms around me? When you talked to me? When you loved me reading to you?' All gone but someone has to put food in your mouth to keep you alive," she reflected. She remembered bringing him meals and his episodes of confusion, where he would refuse to get dressed or believe his flat had been burgled.
Arlene shared that her father, a barber, had once expressed a simple wish: "When I get old, I want to be like an animal, to walk into the forest, lie down and go to sleep." Tragically, she noted, "He couldn't have that." This experience led her to become an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society after his death.
Reflections on Strictly and Life's Fears
The interview also touched on her high-profile departure from the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, where she served as a judge from 2004 to 2008. When asked earlier this year about her biggest disappointment, she stated plainly: "Being let go from Strictly."
Currently working on choreography for Footballers Wives: The Musical, Arlene also weighed in on the perennial Strictly debate about contestants with prior dance training. She urged the public to "relax," citing past winners like Bill Bailey and Stacey Dooley as examples of how training doesn't guarantee victory. "The public can fall in love with anyone, and they can rocket them to a win," she said.
This discussion of life's challenges follows her revelation earlier this year that her greatest fear is dying. Her latest comments, however, show a nuanced perspective, focusing on the quality of life and the desire to spare her own children the anguish she endured.
