Lawyer calls for government inquiry into ballet body shaming allegations

A leading abuse lawyer has called for government action after settling what is believed to be the first case of its kind for body shaming in ballet.

The Royal Ballet School (RBS) reached a financial settlement with former student Ellen Elphick, 31, last week.

Represented by Leigh Day abuse team partner Dino Nocivelli, Ms Elphick had launched a civil claim against the famed Covent Garden site in the West End, for body shaming during her time there.

The school said it accepted no liability for the former dancer’s case and has not issued an apology.

A spokeswoman said: “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.

“RBS continues to take the welfare of its students very seriously”

Ms Elphick was a student at the RBS from 2009 when she was 16 years old, to 2012 when she turned 19.

While at the school, Ms Elphick developed an eating disorder resulting in anorexia.

In her claim, she alleged body shaming by numerous RBS teachers which she said was a breach of the school’s duty of care.

In a statement after the settlement, Ms Elphick said: “As I reflected on the training I had experienced at the RBS, and the eating disorder I developed, I felt there could have been different approaches in teaching in the years I was there.

“I have had children coming to me with issues they had had and I started to realise there is a huge issue for people in my year who had had similar treatment to me.

“I decided to bring a legal claim, which I am making public because I want to bring awareness so that children can go into dance and not leave it damaged as I am.”

A consultant psychiatrist diagnosed Ms Elphick as having previously suffered atypical anorexia and body dysmorphia which she continues to suffer today.

Leigh Day partner Mr Nocivelli said: “The settlement of this case is an important step in finally highlighting not only the body shaming and abuse that so many ballerinas have had to suffer but also the significant impact on them.

“It is time that the ballet community now finally accepts the duty of care it owes to its dancers, accepts where failings have taken place and the harm caused, and changes significantly for the better.”

Last month, Mr Nocivelli formally requested a meeting with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, following multiple allegations of body shaming abuse within England’s top ballet schools.

He said: “It is crucial that we bring this issue to the highest levels of government. The culture of silence and fear in the ballet industry must be broken, and the experiences of these brave dancers must be acknowledged. 

“We continue the demand we made in 2023 that the Government conducts an inquiry into body shaming and abuse in ballet. We cannot stand by while another generation of ballet dancers suffers.”

The department of Culture, Media and Sport has been approached for comment.

Pictured top: The Royal Ballet School site in Covent Garden (Picture: Google Street View)