was banned from doing Strictly for 20 years

Alex agent said 'No.... till now

- BY NICOLA METHVEN TV Editor

Alex Kingston has revealed she's been desperate to get on Strictly Come Dancing ever since her role in ER came to an end - but her agent banned her for fear it would harm her career.

The actress played Dr Elizabeth Corday, wife of George Clooney's Dr Doug Ross, in the US show until 2004.

Her other TV hits include Doctor Who, where she played River Song, and 1996 BBC series The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders.

Theatre productions, such as 2006's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest with Christian Slater, cemented her reputation as a performer.

But two decades after leaving the medical drama, she feels the "silly" snobbery over "serious" actors doing reality TV is finally disappearing.

And Alex, 62, was delighted when she finally got the go-ahead to sign up for the BBC ballroom show.

"It's funny because I've been asked in the past and my agent always sort of said, 'No, you can't do it'," she says.

"Now I think it's just that I've got to a certain stage in my life where he's like. 'If you want to do it, Alex... because I've been wanting to do it for 20 years.

"For a long time I think there's been a sort of stigma around Strictly and popular television. And if you're a theatre actor, theatre actors don't participate - which is silly. I think it's changing now, I really do. I think people are more generous in terms of their opinions about Strictly."