My early life. I was born in Dunfermline, (17 January 1926) I am the daughter of Harold King and In 1931 my family moved to Ndola, Zimbabwe where I received my first dancing training under a former pupil of Enrico Cecchetti. I returned to Britain in 1936 when I was 11 and trained with Flora Fairbairn in London for a few months before I was accepted as a pupil by Nicholas Legat. After three years I joined the sadler’s wells ballet school. But in WW2 my parents took me to live in Scotland.

Movies The red shoes, Black Tights, A Simple Man, The story of three loves, Peeping Tom, The tales of a Hoffman and The man who loved redheads.

The red shoes I went in for my first film role as Victoria Page in the Powell & Pressburger ballet – themed film The red shoes, (1948). Even my hair matched the footwear, the role and film were so powerful that although I went on to star in other films and worked as a dancer for many decades, I am always known for playing "Vicky."

Retired I retired from ballet in 1953, but I continued to act, appearing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the 1954 Edinburgh festival and I worked again for Powell on the film Peeping Tom (1960)

Other jobs In 1972, I was chosen by the BBC to present the Eurovision song contest at the usher hall in Edinburgh, also I wrote for the daily telegraph newspaper and gave talks on ballet worldwide. Gillian Lynne persuaded me to return to ballet in 1987 to play L. S. Lowry's mother in A Simple Man for the BBC

My family In 1950, I married Ludovic Kennedy. We were married in the Chapel Royal in London's Hampton Court Palace. We had a son, Alastair, and three daughters, Ailsa, Rachel and Fiona

I died on the 31 January 2006 (aged 80) in Oxford, England. My burial is in the Durisdeer Cemetery in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland