Strictly star Arlene Phillips says her ‘world is turned upside down’ after grandchild rushed to hospital

Strictly Come Dancing star Arlene Phillips has said her “world was turned upside down” after her granddaughter was rushed into the hospital.

The former BBC judge said that her “beautiful” granddaughter Emme Bow was rushed to hospital after becoming sick with a virus. Bow is now back home and “on the mend”.

Phillips, 79, posted a photo of Bow on social media, accompanied by the caption: “My world was turned upside down this week when my beautiful granddaughter #emmebow was rushed into hospital and my daughter @alanastewartmama had no idea why she was rapidly loosing [sic] weight and like a little rag doll.”

The choreographer said the hospital “identified what was wrong”, explaining that her granddaughter’s illness “was the result of a virus”.

“Now she’s home and really on the mend, which has lifted my spirits enormously and I’m totally ready to get into my rehearsals on @houseofflamenka full of smiles,” she said.

House of Flamenka is a new dance show at the Peacock Theatre, which is co-created and directed by Phillips.

Fans flooded the comments section with well wishes for Phillips, her daughter and granddaughter.

Strictly 2022, presented by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, will kick off on Saturday (17 September) with a pre-recorded launch show, during which the celebrity contestant will find out which professional dancers they are performing with.

Among this year’s contestants are presenter Helen Skelton and singer-songwriter Fleur East. You can find a full list here.