‘My Kids Appreciate That I'm A Bit Mad'

Mum-of-two Darcey Bussell tells us why she can’t resist dancing at every opportunity

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Darcey Bussell has sashayed into our hearts as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, reinventing herself from prima ballerina to graceful national treasure, with her endless legs, effortless glamour and expert knowledge of dance.

But achieving her flawless look still requires work, and Darcey hasn’t stopped moving since retiring from ballet a decade ago. She’s devised her own dance fitness DVD that’s encouraging us to turn over a new leaf in 2018 and work off all those mince pies through exercise.

Darcey reveals that even she put on weight over Christmas – which she spent in Australia with her husband, Angus Forbes, and their daughters Phoebe, 16, and Zoe, 13 – but you’d struggle to pinch an inch anywhere on her lithe frame.

Today, Woman has joined Darcey in a London dance studio for a workout session to tracks from her DVD, Diversity Dance Mix, or DDMIX for short. Slim but toned in black Lycra, Darcey, 48, leads a group of us in fun moves that draw on dance styles from Charleston and disco to Madonna’s Vogue, but that are easy to master. Darcey shows us the movements and encourages those of us with two left feet.

Afterwards, red-faced and panting, Woman sits down with Darcey – who barely broke a sweat! – for a chat about health, Strictly and how her daughters’ dance teachers go white when she turns up at their classes…woman exclusive!