Arlene Phillips shares emotional insight ahead of Queen's funeral 'Day of tears and loss'

express.co.uk:

Queen Elizabeth II since her death was announced on September 8. Having been awarded an OBE, CBE and finally a DBE, two of which were directly from the late Queen, Arlene said that her death has had a “enormous effect” on her, making the day of her state funeral (Monday, September 19) particularly difficult.Posting on her Instagram stories to her 40,000 followers, Arlene shared a picture of her receiving her OBE from the Queen back in 2001.The late monarch, dressed in a blue dress, was pictured slightly bent pinning the medal onto the professional dancer's blazer, while Arlene beamed up at the Queen.With a red heart emoji, Arlene wrote: “Thinking about the Queen all day and the enormous effect it’s had on me.“Tomorrow will be truly a day of tears and loss.”Echoing the attitude of many across the nation ahead of the Queen’s funeral, Arlene’s Instagram story extended to a montage of photos that she posted around a week ago.Sharing two pictures of her receiving honours from the Queen and one from Princess Anne earlier this year, Arlene explained how the Queen has been a “constant” in her life.She wrote the caption: “I keep thinking of our late Queen and how she has been such a constant in our lives, personally remembering back to her coronation when I was 10 years old.“As we are all in this time of mourning, I am reflecting on how she gave me something I could never have dreamed of, by presenting me with both my OBE in 2001 and my CBE in 2013.“Then earlier this year, I had the honour to receive my DBE from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle.