Born:
April 27, 1969
in
London
Best Known For:
Being Britain's most famous ballet star.
Early-life:
Born Marnie Mercedes Darcey Pemberton Crittle in west London, on April 27, 1969. Her mother, Andrea, was a former model and dancer, and her father, John Crittle, ran a boutique on Carnaby Street. When she was six, her parents separated and her dad returned to his native Australia, while her mum married dentist Phillip Bussell. At the age of 13, Darcey asked to join the Royal Ballet Junior School and, despite her mother's misgivings, the teenager blossomed. During her tenure, choreographer Kenneth Macmillan plucked her from obscurity to dance the lead in The Prince of the Pagodas.
Career:
Bussell coped so well with the complex choreography that in December 1989, when she was just 20 years old, Royal Ballet Director Anthony Dowell awarded her the title of Principal Dancer. She went on to international fame in roles such as Odette, Cinderella, Giselle, Juliet, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Black Queen. Since retiring from professional ballet in 2007, she has performed with Katherine Jenkins in the show Viva La Diva, and written a series of dance books for children. Among her many awards is a CBE, which she received in 2006. Away from the stage, she has featured in TV series French and Saunders and The Vicar of Dibley, and had a small role in the 1996 movie True Blue. In 2012, she replaced Alesha Dixon on Strictly Come Dancing's judging panel.
Quote:
On hanging up her ballet shoes: "Being on stage and being the focus of attention is a drug and it will be difficult to give up, but I honestly don't think I'll retire into maternal obscurity."
Trivia:
She performed at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, leading a troupe of 200 ballerinas.