You may have seen the interview in Hello magazine that promoted the Gold Virtuosi 2000 International Jewellery Design Awards. I wish the interviewer had seemed less interested in asking about my husband and more interested in the design awards - perhaps she was trying to emphasise the romance of gold jewellery. The article, however, gave the readers a chance to see more photos of the winning designs. Some of the these are stunning and I felt privileged to have been asked to do the campaign. One photo has been added to each page of this newsletter and you will get a chance to see others in forthcoming newsletters. (Photos by John Swannell, styled by Hilary Alexander with hair and make-up by Jonathon Malone.)
I was also involved in London Fashion week, modelling for Philip Treacy (hat designer) which was great fun. Grace Jones was there that night and modelled the signature piece of the evening : a gold hat! You may well have seen the photos! The bash was held at Tiffany's and it was an ideal time to indulge in our star-spotting, (Yes I enjoy watching celebrities too) as Kate Moss, Bryan Adams and Jade Jagger, to name a few, could be seen. On another occasion Johnny (Cope) and I took part in a charity fashion show at Harrods for the NSPCC Full Stop Campaign. This was Johnny's first experience on the catwalk and we choreographed our walk down the runway. It was a great evening raising a considerable sum of money for a very important and worthwhile charity.
You will have the opportunity to see me in a couple of TV programmes this autumn. They should be broadcast at the beginning of November but as soon as I have the details I will post them. Both were filmed in conjunction with the National Youth Ballet (of which I am Patron) and their performance of Toad on November 5th. I filmed a short clip for Blue Peter and I was also interviewed by Michael Barrymore for his programme. I won't tell you what happened in the latter as it will spoil the surprise!
I've also attended a christening since my last newsletter ... of a Sweet Pea which was named after me - a great honour. The experience of going down to the press day at Unwins really opened my eyes to the power of gardening : there was a gorgeous field absolutely full of every different variety of Sweet Pea in full bloom. (Photo courtesy of Unwins.) Although I don't have the time to take up gardening just now, I will definitely find a place for it in my future plans! If however you are a gardener the seeds can be purchased direct from Unwins by calling 01945 588 522. On a fun note, a horse named Miss Bussell (the owners asked permission to name the horse after me) won a race in Melbourne recently. If only I had known the horse was racing I could have placed a bet and won a couple of pounds!
Of course the modelling
and the successes are really only a small part of my life. The most important part of a dancer's day is spent dancing...but I don't suppose you would be that interested in just hearing about my aching muscles or feet or how tired I can be at the end of a long rehearsal.
I would like to thank everyone who has sent letters and gifts to me at the Opera House; I really appreciate your support! Thanks also for the comments regarding this site. I get many requests for signed pointe shoes but, unfortunately, I am unable to send them as most of them are given to charities and the rest are given to the Pointe Shoe appeal run by the Opera House. You can, however, win a signed pair of pointe shoes next month. Look out for the competition in the next newsletter.
I hope you enjoyed the newsletter. Please come back again to see what I have been up to.
Enjoy your dance!!
Darcey
updated 15/10/2000
