'I'm Living With Passion'

Dame Darcey Bussell talks to Nathalie Whittle about the backstage world of Strictly, ditching perfection, and making Christmas magical...

- Nathalie Whittle

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As Darcey Bussell, 49, pirouettes at our shoot, her delicate red dress swirling as she spins, it’s fair to say we’re all thinking the same thing – how does she look that good? “Strictly does motivate me to get into shape,” she admits. “Even after seven years on the judging panel, I still worry: ‘OMG, I’ve got to put all those beautiful dresses on – how am I going to make myself look decent in them?’”

Darcey’s secret? “Two glasses of water first thing in the morning, walking every day, lots of chicken, fish and greens, no cheesecake for a while (I’m a sucker for it) – and two classes of dance aerobics a week.”

It’s clear there’s no stopping this former prima ballerina now. She lives in London with her husband, Australian businessman Angus Forbes, and their two daughters, Phoebe, 17, and Zoe, 14.

I’ve performed on dance stages all over the world, in front of presidents and queens… but the Strictly ballroom is one of the scariest. I performed on the show three times before becoming a judge. What you don’t see at home is exactly how close the audience is to you when you are dancing and there are all these cameras swinging around you – it really is daunting.

I always thought my nerves would only be there if I was dancing, but I do get nervous as a judge – even now. That’s OK, though. It’s live television and anything can happen, so you’ve got to keep your wits about you. My calming mechanism is to listen to myself breathe for a few moments – it really does work.