"Bussell is dancing as well now as she has ever danced in her life, her line, musicality, athleticism and glamour still astonishing," wrote Mark Monahan in the Telegraph.
The late MacMillan was among first to notice Bussell's talent in her mid-teens; he later cast her in the leading role of his ballet The Prince of the Pagodas (1988-89). She is the Royal Ballet's most honored dancer in recent decades.