Dancer Wayne Sleep: ‘I hid my sexuality from my mother, so it was wonderful to come out and be myself at last’
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The dancer and his husband on meeting at a beach bar in Spain, the stresses of working together, and who is the teenager in the relationship. Born in Plymouth in 1948, Wayne Sleep is a dancer and media personality. At 12, he won a scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in London, and made his stage debut with the company at 17. In the 1970s and 80s he became one of the industry’s most prominent dancers, creating the role of Mr Mistoffelees in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit Cats, and dancing with Princess Diana at the Royal Opera House – one of many collaborations with the royal family. Wayne lives in London with his husband, José Bergera. His memoir, Just Different, is out now.
This photo was taken on holiday in Spain. José and I had been together for a year by this point – I was working on an ambitious show called The History of Dance and had asked him to be my dresser, just to give him something to do. There was a lot of fighting in the wings: I’d come off stage and he’d say: “First, trousers!” and I’d say: “No, shirt!” We would row, but I’d have to do it his way. The whole experience was exhausting. He’d walk around London after the performance. I’d think: “Where on earth has he gone?” He’d come back at 4am, still angry. No wonder his father called him TNT. José had a short fuse, but over the years he’s mellowed.
I met José in Spain in the summer of 1998, while visiting a wonderful natural reserve beach with miles of sand dunes; very romantic. There was a bohemian restaurant selling fresh sardines on the beach, one with posh magazines on the coffee tables and an electronic dart board that I went on to break by throwing the darts from under my legs and over my head. It turned out to be José’s bar.
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