Darcey Spills The Strictly Beans

Strictly judge Dame Darcey Bussell on the magic of dance, getting the most out of the contestants and the positives of getting older

- Alison James

Former prima ballerina, the recently enobled Dame Darcey Bussell, is such a fragrant fixture on Strictly Come Dancing, it’s difficult to remember a time when she wasn’t gracing the judging panel. She lends a certain class to proceedings, sandwiched between Craig ‘Mr Nasty’ Revel Horwood, Her Bluntless Shirley Ballas, and the flamboyant yet sometimes poisoned-tongued Bruno Tonioli. Darcey, however, is unfailingly positive toward the celebrity contestants. So, is she primed by producers to take on this ‘nice’ judge role? It would seem not...

“I just do what I feel,” she has said. “For me, it’s about having empathy and understanding; it doesn’t matter about skill. I respect people putting the effort in and I want to get the best out of them. I believe you get that if you’re fair and supportive. It’s easier to be negative than positive. I don’t want to dishearten somebody so that they have no hope, so why make it terrifying for them?

“I have to say – having been coached all my life and getting lots of criticism – these were the kind of comments that made me want to come back better. I feel I should give them that motivation and I enjoy doing all I can to boost that person.”