Ex-dancer settles with Royal Ballet School over ‘body-shaming’

Ellen was among more than 50 ex-dancers who told the BBC there was a long-running “toxic” culture of body-shaming and bullying within some of the UK’s leading ballet schools.

She said she had pursued legal action to bring attention to the harm caused by body-shaming in ballet. The financial terms of her settlement have not been publicly disclosed.

“It wasn’t about the money,” she said.

“It was about making people aware of what being a ballerina is really like and showing that what happened to me was unacceptable.”

Although she says she feels some validation from the settlement, Ellen expressed disappointment at the lack of an apology from RBS. “That they couldn’t even say ‘sorry’ shows there is so much more to do,” she said.

Now a mother, she said she wanted to shield her daughter from the ballet world and would “never” send her to ballet classes.

However, she hopes her case could lead to meaningful reform and that ballet schools will prioritise students’ mental health and train teachers to understand the impact of their words.

“RBS needs to lead the way and show that health and wellbeing matter more than just dancing,” she said.

“Children should be able to go into dance and not leave it feeling damaged.”