Arlene Phillips

Arlene Phillips, CBE (born 22 May 1943) is an English choreographer, theatre director, talent scout, television judge and presenter and former dancer, who has worked in many fields of entertainment. For many years she was most noted as the choreographer of numerous West End and Broadway musicals, films and television shows, but she has since achieved mainstream fame as a judge on television talent shows including Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance. On 15 April 2010, she made her first appearance as a panellist for the ITV television series Loose Women.

Early life

Phillips was born in 1943 and grew up in Prestwich, Lancashire, England. She is Jewish and has a brother, Ian and a sister, Karen. She attended Broughton Preparatory School, Cheetham Hill, Manchester, Beaver Road Primary School, Didsbury and Manchester Central High School for Girls after passing the Eleven plus exam. When Phillips was 15, her mother, who had been suffering from leukaemia, died aged 43. Her father, who had been a barber with his own shop, died of Alzheimer's at the age of 89.