Following the death of her husband, writer and jazz musician George Melly, from vascular dementia in 2007, Diana Melly realised quickly that she “didn’t have the Latin” for cryptic crosswords and instead threw herself into ballroom dancing to fill the space his prolonged illness had left.
Taken under the wing of Raymond, a former world champion with “a balding head and a bus pass”, Diana waltzes and rumbas around a sequinned circuit of tea dances, town halls and winter gardens with vim, a self-deprecating sense of humour and an occasionally quaint turn of phrase. Away from the dance floor, she reflects on her past: early days dancing at Murray’s Cabaret Club, going to bed with men “so as not to seem rude”, marriage to a man she famously called “a monster”, the loss of two children.
“When I’m dancing, nothing seems to matter except the music,” a friend remarks, and it seems, despite great personal sadnesses, this is true for Melly too.
Strictly Ballroom is published by Short Books (£10.99). Click here to order a copy for £8.79
