Now, Wayne Sleep, 76, the virtuoso dancer and self-styled "pocket Apollo", has written about his extraordinary life in a new memoir, Just Different, recounting his transition from classical ballet to mainstream showbusiness and becoming a household name.
There are anecdotes and tantalising gossip about his friendships with celebrities and royal figures, as well as dancing with Rudolf Nureyev, but his book - as effervescent and entertaining as the man himself - also revisits more sombre occasions when he felt, at times, that he was an outsider.
At 5ft 2in, he was the shortest principal dancer ever to join the Royal Ballet; as a gay man, he also encountered the prejudices of his generation. It is a story, he says, about overcoming obstacles and "turning disadvantage into advantage".
In this exclusive interview with HELLO!, Wayne, who lives in London with his husband José Bergera, talks us through some of the photos and highlights of his dazzling career.
PLAYING PUCK
Wayne performed with the Royal Ballet in the 1960s and 1970s, considered the golden era of the company, alongside legendary members such as Anthony Dowell, Lynn Seymour, Christopher Gable and Rudolf Nureyev, who became a friend.
Although never cast as the romantic lead - "I was always animals or children", he says he nevertheless became a star, revered for his jumps, leaps and spins. Audiences and critics loved his scene-stealing role as Puck (left), in Sir Frederick Ashton's The Dream.
"A small, sprightly and mischievous little creature, Puck was the perfect part for me," he writes.
"I loved Puck," he tells us, "and Sir Frederick let me change some of the steps for it, because I could act as well." Underused by the company, he was able to moonlight on other projects for film, stage and TV while a member.
DAME SHIRLEY BASSEY AND LIZA MINNELLI
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Denne historien er fra November 11, 2024-utgaven av HELLO! UK.
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