STARSTRUCK? OH YEAH!

Darcy Bussell, Blenheim Literary Festival, Oxford

Darcy Bussell, Blenheim Lit Festival, Oxford

******** Now this is interesting, normally I’d have blogged ‘live’ during Ms Bussell’s appearance but even I felt a tad overawed and, with a complete lack of spleen, didn’t fancy a handbag in the face from one of the ‘Strictly’ fans who turned out en masse.
Indeed, at the beginning of Ms Bussell’s talk (and no, in this particular blog, I’d prefer to refer to her as ‘Ms” rather than Darcey) the audience was asked to raise their hands if they were strictly there as ‘Strictly’ fans.
Hell, it was like a rally…
She was very poised (expected), elegant (expected), sexy (expected) and completely relaxed (unexpected)
In fact, she was a class act.
And yes she managed to side-step the whole Will Young question very deftly. First she said: “Let’s make this clear, it’s not to do with Len”, before summing up diplomatically: “Isn’t it sad? He easily could have got to the final…”
Still, one man’s poison… but let’s not wonder if this year’s other competitors feel quite so sad.
She was lively, impish and very, very funny.
For instance, asked if she had any regrets about the toll her profession has taken on her body she pondered: “No regrets, no,” before whispering, “but a couple of operations” (followed by a dry, wry smile).
Consequently, when asked if there was anything she didn’t miss about dancing, she replied: “The pain”.
For the record, Ms Bussell considers her most rewarding role that of Juliet in ‘Romeo and You-know-who’ and her favourite ballet, ‘Swan Lake’.
And despite the fact this event revolved around her new best seller (well, it IS a literary festival) she managed to raise the whole Q&A above the normal banalities so common heard on the ‘lit fest’ circuit.
Worth the ticket price then?
Absolutely.
Memorable?
Delightfully yes.