He danced with ballet’s legends, partied with Freddie Mercury, and became a household name. As he celebrates his birthday with a gala performance, the 5ft 2in dynamo looks back at an action-packed life
In the 80s and 90s, Wayne Sleep was prime-time famous, on Wogan and Parkinson, Give Us a Clue, getting Gotcha’d by Noel Edmonds and Mr Blobby. But of course, he was also a seriously talented classical ballet dancer, “the greatest virtuoso dancer the Royal Ballet has ever produced”, the company’s founder Ninette de Valois once said. He made up for his short stature with explosive technique, giant leaps and natural charisma, energy always fizzing. Nobody since has so successfully crossed the line between classical dance and mainstream entertainment.
Sleep is about to mark his 75th birthday with a celebratory event at his old workplace, the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden. He’ll be in conversation with Alan Titchmarsh, and performing too (you’ll have to wait and see what). I meet him at his house in west London by the Thames. At 5ft 2in (“and shrinking”) he’s voluble, cheeky, full of laughter, skittering across topics and off on tangents. Close-cropped white hair has long replaced the shaggy 70s curls. Though not as spry as he once was, he’ll still get up and dance to demonstrate whatever he’s talking about. The house, which he shares with husband Jose Bergera, is filled with photos of Sleep in his favourite roles – from choreographers Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, John Neumeier, Jerome Robbins; as Mr Mistoffelees in the original Cats and there are snapshots of Sleep with friends: one shows him smiling with his arms round Elton John and Freddie Mercury at Live Aid.
