Royal Ballet Settles with with Ex-Dancer Over Body-Shaming
A spokesperson for the school reported that both parties were able to come to an agreement.
By: Emmy Rice Jun. 01, 2025
The Royal Ballet School and Ellen Elphick, a former student of the school who experienced body-shaming while attending, have reacing a settlement. Elphick attended the Royal Ballet between 2009 and 2012, where she experienced lifelong psychological damage.
Elphick said that when she was 16 years old at the school, she had a teacher who publically body-shamed her. The teacher drew a line around her body in front of a mirror, and said that if he had a knife, "this is what I would cut off."
While the Royal Ballet School has yet to issue an apology for the dancer, a spokesperson did say, "We are pleased that both parties were able to reach a mutually acceptable agreement in this way and we wish Ellen and her family well for the future." According to an article from BBC, the spokesperson then added that the school "continues to take the welfare of its students very seriously".
For more information, see the BBC article here.
Videos