‘I had to carry Diana from one corner of the stage to another — I was frightened I’d drop her’
The wall of Wayne Sleep’s staircase is covered in images from his extraordinary life and career. Black-and-white prints show the virtuoso dancer flying through the air in a split leap or grand jeté; taking a curtain call with Rudolf Nureyev; performing with the then Princess of Wales, and larking about backstage with friends Freddie Mercury and Sir Elton John.
As a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet for many years Wayne, who turns 75 this week, was advised not to hang up pictures of himself – it was considered vain.
He was clearly having none of it – just as he is relishing the thought of being the centre of attention at his birthday celebrations. “I don’t think I’ve ever been anything else!” he says. “Tell you what 75 does to you: it gets rid of your modesty.”
He feels “exactly the same as I’ve always felt, but just
