Darcey Bussel
| Darcey Bussell CBE |
|
|---|---|
Bussell at a curtain call after a performance of Theme and Variations
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| Born |
Marnie Mercedes Darcey Pemberton Crittle 28 April 1969 London, England |
| Occupation | Ballet dancer (active until 2007) Strictly Come Dancing judge (from 2012) |
| Spouse(s) | Angus Forbes (m. 1997) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) |
John Crittle Andrea Williams |
| Relatives | Philip Bussell (stepfather) |
Darcey Andrea Bussell CBE (born Marnie Mercedes Darcey Pemberton Crittle 27 April 1969) is a retired English ballerina, and is currently one of the four judges on the BBC reality show Strictly Come Dancing.
Trained at the Arts Educational School and the Royal Ballet School, Bussell started her professional career at Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet, but after only one year she moved to The Royal Ballet, where she became a principal dancer at the age of 20 in 1989. Bussell is widely acclaimed as one of the great British ballerinas. During her twenty years as a dancer she won renown for her combination of a tall and athletic physique while dancing with soft lyricism. Bussell remained with The Royal Ballet for her whole career, but also performed as a guest artist with many leading companies including NYCB, La Scala Theatre Ballet, the Kirov Ballet, Hamburg Ballet and the Australian Ballet. She retired from ballet in 2007 but remains very committed to the dance world.
Bussell is also pursuing parallel careers in television, books and modelling, and supports numerous British and international charities and dance institutions.
Bussell was born in London to Australian businessman John Crittle and his English wife Andrea Williams. After the couple divorced when Bussell was three, her mother remarried and Bussell was adopted by her mother's new husband, Australian dentist Philip Bussell. The family spent some time in Australia, where Bussell attended school before they returned to London for Bussell to be educated at Fox Primary School.
Bussell began her professional training at the Charlotte School, a specialist dance and musical theatre school in London. At the age of 13, she moved to continue her studies at the Royal Ballet Lower School, a leading international ballet school based at White Lodge, Richmond Park. At 16, she progressed to the Royal Ballet Upper School in Baron's Court, before joining the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet in 1987. Whilst studying at the Royal Ballet School, she appeared in a number of school productions, including performances at the Royal Opera House.
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