Bussell's life in pictures

Lyrical and long-limbed, Darcey Bussell has danced her way into the hearts of the British public.

Her technique and ability to inject heart-wrenching emotion into her performances has made her one of the most celebrated dancers of her generation.

And the story of her rise to ballet superstardom reads like a fairytale suited to the stage.

The late choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan was struck by Bussell's blossoming talent while she was studying at the Royal Ballet School.

He cast her in the lead role of his ballet Concerto for the 1986 school performance, and declared she would become an international star.

During her first season with Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet he plucked Bussell from the corps de ballet for the leading role as Princess Rose in The Prince of the Pagodas - his new work for The Royal Ballet.

It led to her transferring to the Royal Ballet in 1988 as a soloist, rising quickly to first soloist.

I don't want to start fizzling out and people wanting me to retire Darcey Bussell

Three months later - on the first night of The Prince of the Pagodas - she was promoted again to the rank of principal.

At the age of 20 she was the youngest ballerina to be given this honour.

It was an incredible start for the young ballerina who had joined the Royal Ballet School at the relatively late age of 13.

Since most young dancers start at 11 or younger, she had ground to make up, and often found herself the target of laughter from her classmates.

But she powered ahead, practising until lights out every night to perfect her technique.

Her determination paid off four years later when she won the international ballet competition Prix de Lausanne in 1986.

Dance awards

Bussell's classical repertoire includes Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Nikiya and Gamzatti in La Bayadere and the title roles in Giselle and Raymonda Act III.

Her other title roles in Sir Kenneth MacMillan's ballets have included the technically-demanding Manon and Romeo and Juliet, the leading roles in Song of the Earth and the jazzy one-act ballet Elite Syncopations.

Bussell has even turned her hand to comedy with Dawn French

During her career, Bussell has also performed with the New York City Ballet, the Kirov Ballet, Australian Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet.

Her awards have included dancer of the year in 1990 - as voted for by the readers of Dance and Dancers magazine - and was honoured with the Evening Standard Ballet Award the same year.

Off-stage Bussell was made a CBE in 2006, her image was made in wax for Madame Tussauds, and her portrait hung in the National Portrait Gallery.

She has also turned up in the pages of Tatler, Vogue and Vanity Fair, and she has modelled clothes for Mulberry, Bruce Oldfield, Marks & Spencer and De Beers Diamonds.

She even guest starred in the popular BBC One comedy The Vicar of Dibley, in a memorable scene where she danced on the village hall stage with Dawn French.

In 1997, Bussell married Australian-born financer Angus Forbes, going on to have two daughters.

Despite making comebacks after the birth of both of her children, in 2006 she announced her retirement as a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet because of injuries to her body and physical stress.

She stayed with the company as "guest principal artist" but will have danced her final ballet with the company on 8 June at the age of 38.

By accident or design, her swan song is Sir Kenneth's Song of the Earth, one of his earliest and most demanding ballets.

'No regrets'

She has received rave reviews for the role, leading many to question why she is retiring at the top of her career.

"I think I have seen so many dancers not retire when they should have," Bussell told the BBC.

"I don't want to start fizzling out and people wanting me to retire. The nice thing is everybody wants me to stay and that's much better, isn't it?"

"As long as I feel good about it I have no regrets... and I'm very happy."

While Bussell has said she has "no plans for a comeback" she has not turned her back on dancing completely.

She recently teamed up with mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins for a new song-and-dance spectacular to pay tribute to the stars which have inspired them.

It will tour the UK at the end of the year and see Bussell do something a little different... tap-dancing.