Darcey warns she'll be tough on 'Strictly'

Darcey Bussell has warned she will not be shy about pulling up 'Strictly Come Dancing' contestants for any mistakes when she appears as a guest judge.

Bussell also brushed aside views that the axing of Arlene Phillips from the show was about age.

The star, who moved to Australia after retiring from the Royal Ballet, will appear on the final three episodes of the BBC1 programme next month.

She told the Radio Times: “I am very English, so I will be nice and diplomatic.

“That’s the way I am. And I’m glad I’m coming in at the end of the competition when the dancers are less nervous about performing, because you can be much more critical at that stage.

“So I will not be shy about criticising them and saying: ’That didn’t work. It hasn’t improved. You need to do a lot more work before you come back next week.”’

Asked about the Strictly age row, which saw Phillips, 66, replaced by 31-year-old Alesha Dixon: “Age has nothing to do with judging – you’re not performing.”

She was also doubtful that the switch was a bid to attract younger viewers.

She told the magazine: “There are other ways of getting younger viewers. Alesha is bringing something else to the panel because she had the advantage of having been a performer on the show.

“She knows what they’re going through.”

She told how she enjoys anonymity in the Sydney suburbs, merely telling people she is an ex-dancer.

“It’s nice getting to know people not because of who I am. They don’t put me in a box. The conversation proceeds normally – it’s quite refreshing.

“Of course I miss the people, the Opera House, the buzz of performing, but I had a great career, which lasted 20 years, so I have no regrets.”