Arlene Phillips, 82, Wows in Tiny Black Bikini Throwback

Arlene Phillips sent temperatures soaring on Tuesday, as she shared a slew of throwback snaps, including a sizzling bikini-clad shot.

The former Strictly Come Dancing judge, 82, took to her Instagram to commiserate to her fans over the wet weather, with a photo of her soaking up the sun on a previous holiday.

The star looked sensational in the scorching shot, sitting beside a swimming pool in strapless black bikini, that showcased her svelte figure.

Captioning the throwback picture, Arlene lamented: ‘Torrential downpours go away, I’m dreaming of sunshine.

‘Swipe to see how the current weather makes me feel… unimpressed! I found these old photos with @brunotonioliofficial @laytonwilliams and noticed a theme’.

She added two additional snaps she’d unearthed of her with fellow former Strictly judge Bruno Tonioli and 2023 finalist, Layton Williams, both showing her looking distinctly disgruntled.

Both men took to comments to react to Arlene’s post, with Bruno sharing a heart emoji and reminiscing: ‘back in December’.

While Layton commented on the visible distance between him and Arlene in the shot, writing: ‘Haha love it! Also I swear this was still Covid hence why we weren’t hugging xxx’ with Arlene confirming: ‘Very very very Covid no hugs !’

The West End star also praised the striking bikini-snap, gushing: ‘Ps – you look gorge x’.

It comes after Arlene gave her verdict on who she thinks should replace Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, after the two presenters announced they were leaving Strictly. 

The duo shocked the nation when they dropped the bombshell that this series would be their last, after hosting together for the past 14 years, with speculation immediately beginning over who would take over the reins. 

Arlene was famously one of the original judges on the BBC dance competition from its inception in 2004 until her exit in 2008. 

And during an appearance on Loose Women last month, panellist and fellow Strictly alum Oti Mabuse was quick to quiz her about who she’d recommend for the job.

The choreographer replied: ‘At first I thought it should be a non dancer, they’ll kind of be unbiased. There are enough dancers there criticising, and then I thought, no. 

‘How do you replace people? Like Claudia is smart as a whip, funny and on It Takes Two, right at the beginning, it almost felt like we were making it up. Claudia nailed that show for everyone. 

‘So that’s hard, but I think somebody like Hannah Waddingham would just fall into that. Smart, off the page, not like your normal human being. Fun, up for a joke.’

She continued: ‘Then I think someone kind of ditzy, and warm, and like the heart of the show’ before pointing at Oti and clarifying: ‘This one to my right’.

While Arlene also shouted out pal Layton for the job, adding: ‘Can I quickly mention – Layton Williams!’

She also gave her thoughts on the backlash towards contestant Amber Davies over her previous dance experience, after the Love Island winner ended up in the dance-off.

The actress, 29, stepped in for an injured Dani Dyer at the last minute, going on to score highly in the series so far, but has also faced criticism for having already had professional dance training and experience, as a West End musical theatre star.

Giving her opinion on the debate surrounding Strictly contestants with dance experience, Arlene came to Amber’s defence.

She said: ‘Amber can dance no doubt about it, Amber has trained as a dancer, there’s no doubt about it. So many of Strictly stars over the years have trained as a dancer.

‘Do they have an advantage? Yes, they know how to go forward, back, right, left, move in rhythm. However, it doesn’t mean that they are going to win, not at all.

‘Bill Bailey – who thought that one? There has been so many. Stacey Dooley… they were not dancers! It doesn’t mean that you are going to win.

‘Let’s just enjoy every performance and stop thinking about, “They shouldn’t win!”, “Amber shouldn’t win!” Amber is a lovely human being, she’s hard worker, she’s a terrific performer.’