Angela Rippon

“Ever since I passed my driving test when I was 17, I've had a special bond with my vehicles.”

“When mum was diagnosed in 2004 there was a stigma attached to the condition and people didn't really talk about it. But that is rapidly disappearing, thanks in part to the tireless work of the Alzheimer's Society.”

“I stopped dancing when I was 17, but like all little girls I wanted to be a ballerina.”

“It won't be easy for any broadcaster in the future to write off Fiona Bruce, Sian Williams and Gabby Logan when they reach their 50s. If they do, they will be wasting an incredibly rich seam of talent and ability.”

“If we were all a bit more courteous to each other and humanity, it would make all of us nicer and make the world a nicer place.”

“Television is quite a fickle business - you don't know when you'll go out of fashion, so I have to save for that rainy day when people stop asking me to present television programmes.”

“If your hair looks a mess, you feel a mess. And that's the one thing guaranteed to sap a woman's self-confidence. No matter how much care you've taken over your skin, your make-up and your clothes, if your hair isn't right, you feel a frump.”

“I think I've got better and more observant as I've got older.”

“When I get a scamming call I tell them: 'If you have my number then you'll also have my name. And so, you'll know I'm Angela Rippon and a presenter on Rip Off Britain who knows exactly what you're up to.'”

“One thing I've always been sensible about is recognising that as a freelance I always have a tax bill to pay at the end of the year. So I've always made sure there's money put aside for that.”

“In general, I think we should take advantage of all the wonderful medical advances designed to give us a longer and easier life, but only if they suit us individually.”

“I would never cast aspersions about another broadcaster, and I do agree that prime time television is ageist, of course it is. But the only way to counter that isn't to complain, but to take on new roles and do them with such consummate professionalism that the naysayers who think there's no place for us are proved categorically wrong.”

“My 'Strictly' experience has taken my admiration for the skill and stamina of dancers to a whole new level. They really are exceptional artists and I never tire of watching them perform what I class as an exquisite art form.”

“I'm all for holding back the hands of time, but going out dancing with friends sounds a lot more fun as an antidote to ageing than sitting on the couch with a cheeseburger, waiting for a vampiric-sounding elixir of youth.”

“I enjoy male company and I am very lucky to have many friends - men, women, straight and gay.”

“I have to have my curling tong with me at all times.”

“Despite my plea for us all to be more proactive with our own ageing, it's important to remember that there are health problems beyond our control. Some people will get cancer or heart disease, which wasn't preventable.”

“Languages are terrific, but learning something totally different, such as Mandarin may exercise the grey matter more than just brushing up rusty French.”

“On the BBC programme I did with Dr Chris van Tulleken, 'How to Stay Young,' we proved scientifically that dance is the exercise that ticks all the boxes, to give you the full mind and body workout.”

“I socialise, I have my freedom, I absolute adore my work and frankly it would take someone utterly remarkable to turn my head.”