Angela Rippon facts: TV presenter's age, husband, family and career explained

29 October 2023, 14:05

Angela Rippon is one of the most recognisable British TV stars of all time.

Before becoming the first woman to permanently anchor the BBC national TV news in 1975, Angela Rippon worked as a radio and TV news presenter in South West England.

She also made history as the third female news presenter on British TV, following Barbara Mandell on ITN in 1955 and Nan Winton on BBC TV in 1960.

Angela had a variety of roles in her career, such as hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977, appearing on an iconic Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show in 1976, presenting the first two series of Top Gear and Come Dancing, and co-founding TV-am.

She switched to radio in the 1990s, hosting daily news shows for LBC Newstalk from 1990 to 1994, and filling in as a newsreader on Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast. She also covered the UK Ballroom Championships in 1991.

Angela Rippon is also an author of 14 books, a theatre performer in Anything Goes, and a regular contributor to The One Show. She has been co-hosting Rip Off Britain with Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville since 2009.

She also joined Helen Skelton and Joe Crowley to present Holiday Hit Squad in 2013 and 2014. She is the voice of The Wall, a BBC One game show, and frequently appears on GB News.

In 2023, she returns to her dancing roots by becoming a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

1. How old is Angela Rippon?

   

   Angela Rippon was born on October 12, 1944 in Plymouth, Devon. She celebrated her 79th birthday in 2023.

   She was born to John Rippon and Edna Rippon. She was an only child and did not have any siblings.

   Her father was a Royal Marine and her mother worked at a fine china company called Lawley’s and was also a seamstress.

2. Was Angela Rippon ever married and does she have children?

   

   Angela Rippon was married to her childhood sweetheart, Christopher Dare, in 1967.

   However, they got separated in 1989 and later divorced.

   They did not have any children together.

   In 2015, she told the Daily Mail: “I've discovered I'm very happy being single.

   "I suppose, if I'm honest, when your heart is broken it's painful and I don't want to go there again.”

3. What was her famous Morecambe and Wise dancing sketch?

   

   Nine o'clock News in/out 1979 - Angela Rippon

   Angela Rippon made a memorable guest appearance on the popular British TV show Morecambe and Wise in 1976. Her appearance on the show was truly remarkable, leaving a lasting impression on both the audience and the hosts, Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.

   • Morecambe and Wise's greatest ever moments and sketches

   During her appearance, Angela Rippon demonstrated her versatility by participating in various comedy sketches and musical numbers alongside Eric and Ernie. Her comedic timing and willingness to engage in playful banter with the hosts showed her sense of humour and adaptability as an entertainer.

   In the show, she first appeared behind a BBC newsdesk before emerging to perform a high-kicking dance routine to 'Let's Face the Music and Dance'.

   Her appearance was so popular that she made a cameo appearance in the following year’s show, in which she was revealed to be one of a chorus line.