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I grew up in Sussex then moved to Covent Garden for the Royal Ballet School — but just before lockdown I moved to Soho with my boyfriend [Royal Ballet principal Cesar Corrales].
What was your first job?
I was a student with the Royal Ballet. They pay the students a small fee to appear in productions and fill in for people who are injured or ill. I earned a very small amount for every show I did. I think back then, which was over 12 years ago, I was paid like £22 or something!
What’s the best meal you’ve had?
Scott’s, the day before we went into lockdown, and that’s why it was so special because it was our last night of freedom. I had a lamb dish and because of the restrictions, we had to sit outside with blankets. It was freezing, but the food tasted even better because we all knew what was coming.
Which shops do you rely on?
I always run out of the stage door across the road for lunch at a tiny deli called Kastner & Ovens. It makes homemade salads and hot food. It’s only open for a couple of hours. I don’t like healthy food, but the way they do it is really tasty, homemade and fresh.
What’s your biggest extravagance?
Black cabs. I hate walking. I know everyone will say, but you’re a ballerina, you must have loads of energy! But it’s the opposite. I have to preserve it. I’m not ever ashamed to jump in a cab for a short distance.
I hate walking. I’m not ever ashamed to jump in a cab for a short distance
Who is your hero?
There’s so many amazingly strong women, especially in the dance world, one of them is the French ballerina Sylvie Guillem. She retired about 10 years ago but she was ahead of her time and took control of her own life and career.
Who do you call to have fun?
My friends at the Royal Ballet, we encourage each other to misbehave and also Faye Wei Wei, who’s an artist and lives near me. She’s really fun and makes everything better.
What is your go-to song at the moment?
I’m a big Shazam-er and I was watching the end credits of an Apple TV show and had to stop and grab my phone. It was ‘In Spite of Me’ by Morphine and I’ve fallen in love with it.
What was the last thing you googled?
‘Does rye bread have gluten?’ I’m not on a diet or anything but I got told by my nutritionist that I probably shouldn’t eat wheat. I’m in denial about it because I love bread, cakes and croissants. I have a really sweet tooth.
Where do you let your hair down?
After I’ve done a performance, it’s usually last orders at the pub by the time I get there. Me and my friends make our way to Philomena’s the Irish pub. It becomes a bit like a pub crawl!
What do you collect?
I’m a magazine hoarder. In the future I need to be careful I don’t have to crawl to the next room through piles of magazines. I’ve been like this since I was young. My grandmother bought me my first fashion magazine, a Teen Vogue, when I was seven and that was it, I was addicted. All my friends from the ballet school remember me putting my maths textbook up on the tables in front of the teachers and I’d be hiding a Vogue behind it.
What are you currently working on?
I’ve just done Sleeping Beauty and Woolf Works which is the complete opposite, a super modern ballet by Wayne McGregor based on Virginia Woolf’s books.
