Darcey Bussell, interview - Telegraph But it's her ballet expertise that makes her a unique, and educational, presence on the show. For instance, she delights in how "Louis [Smith, the Olympic gymnast] did that amazing presage - a lift on the hips of the girl - at the end of his Dirty Dancing routine. In my profession we do that a lot and the boy has to lock the elbows and then he gauges more of the balancing in the wrist. But Louis did it with just full strength and no technique, without his elbows locked, and he pulled it off. She adds with a grin: "Len very quickly said to me afterwards, "I've done that lift lots of times as well, Darcey." I said, "I'm sure you have, Len." I would have loved to have done it with him. Among the judges, Goodman is a particular favourite of Bussell's. She confides she is going to be allowed out from behind that desk to "strut my stuff" with him in tonight's Strictly Wembley special. And she says that the Argentine tango she and Goodman did together for the benefit of the pre-publicity film "made my knees go like jelly." Though she goes on to bat off the suggestion she has a particular soft spot for the "endearing" Smith, a strong contender for this year's title: "I think all the judges have a crush on him." In person, Bussell, 43, is girlish and giggly. Her outfit is jolly too: polka-dot capri pants, shocking pink jumper and bright blue dangly earrings, a combination she will change before going on from our interview, to meet Samantha Cameron at Number 10 in her capacity as an "Inspirational Women of the Year," for which there is an awards show in the evening. She is also charmingly self-deprecating, conceding that she can "fluff around" in her comments, and talking at length about "Ya-gate," the fuss generated by her entertaining verbal tic, which marred her debut judging appearance in this series. She peppered all her comments to the contestants with a preponderance of "ya" and "OK ya," making her sound both very Sloaney and oddly South African. "Oh yes, my fabulous "yeaahhh, yaaa,"" she says when I ask her about it. "I think it was nerves and also I think when I coach dancers I want them to communicate with me so I kept expecting a response," she explains. But Strictly couples don't say anything and I found that very strange to begin with. I think with one person I must have said about six yas. I think it was Victoria [Pendleton, the Olympic cyclist]. She started crying and I knew she wasn't listening so I just went on more and more. As soon as someone at the BBC showed her the footage and she became aware of the tic, she stopped. Coaching dancers and being a general grande dame of dance is where Bussell's future lies. She says she is also "researching some dance projects which look really exciting" but doesn't divulge any further details. She is president of the Royal Academy of Dance - a great honour - and regularly teaches principals at the Royal Ballet and other schools, as well as judging international competitions. After she quit ballet she emigrated with her husband, the hedge-fund manager Angus Forbes and their daughters, Zoe, eight, and Phoebe, 11, to Sydney, Australia, where she did a mishmash of work including television presenting. But a starring role in the Olympic closing ceremony, the Strictly offer and a simple desire to return home have brought her and the family back. She is insistent she didn't retire from ballet itself too early, however - she doesn't miss "that pain that goes with it" - even though she has spoken publicly of suffering from depression when she first left, at 38. It seems that Bussell feels, with Strictly, as if she has come home to roost. She says the ballet world is not at all snobbish about the show: "I actually think the biggest fans are from the ballet." Don't traditionalists find the costumes tacky? "Actually we always think, "Why aren't our costumes as tacky as that?" We love the bling. Hopefully, I'm giving ballet a good name by going on Strictly. The wonderful thing about Strictly is it sends such a positive message about dance. I believe in how dance lifts you and makes you feel. It's really tough for the average person who works in front of a computer if they don't go to dance classes. If you don't move there's something wrong with you. There's a part of your body that's cut off. Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday night on BBC One at 6.30pm