Ballerina too big for Bolshoi

Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre sacked one of the country's best-known prima ballerinas yesterday, saying the dancer was too heavy and too tall for most of her partners to lift.

Anastasia Volochkova has been publicly feuding with the theatre over the past few weeks, alleging the Bolshoi had hidden her dance partner as part of a plot to stop her performing. The theatre maintained that Yevgeny Ivanchenko, was hospitalised after injuring his back trying to lift the unusually tall and heavy ballerina.

Volochkova admits being very partial to ice cream, but insists she opts for the lower-fat frozen yoghurt variety.