Darcey Bussell might have hung up her pointe shoes, but she's set to dish out scores instead, after the BBC announced that the former Royal Ballet principal dancer is to join Strictly Come Dancing as a judge.
She will replace Alesha Dixon on the show's judging panel when it returns in the autumn, after the singer binned ballroom dancing for variety acts earlier this year and joined Britain's Got Talent instead. Bussell will sit alongside the show's long-term judges Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli to pass comment on a selection of celebrities taking to the dance floor for the first time.
It won't be the first time Bussell has perched on the Strictly panel, after a stint as a guest judge at the end of the 2009 series. As part of the semi-final show, she danced a non-competitive jive with Ian White, one of the regular professional dancers on the series.
Bussell expressed her excitement at the new role. "I had such a lovely experience in 2009 when I was a guest judge, that coming on board now feels very natural. Strictly combines quality dance and great entertainment, which is such a positive for everybody involved."
It will be interesting to see how Bussell's years in ballet inform her assessment of rumbas, quicksteps and paso dobles. After her previous appearances on the show, she told the Independent: "People think, when you've been a professional dancer all your life, that you're going to have tried every sort of style, and I kind of felt embarrassed that I'd never ever tried ballroom dancing."
Bussell joined the Royal Ballet in 1988, rising to principal a year later. She retired in 2007, but subsequently performed alongside opera singer Katherine Jenkins in Viva la Diva at the O2 Arena.
Despite such large-scale live appearances, Strictly Come Dancing will bring a considerably bigger audience. The BBC remain absolutely committed to the format, with the channel's controller Danny Cohen describing the programme as "a jewel in BBC One's crown."
He continued: "I can think of no-one better to join our Strictly judging panel than Darcey, the UK's queen of ballet. Darcey has all the poise and glamour, along with the experience and credentials to deliver meaningful and insightful critiques of our couples' performances. She's a huge fan of the show and will be a fantastic addition to the Strictly family."
