Royal Ballet star breaks silence after storming out

Sergei Polunin, the gifted dancer who stunned the ballet world by quitting the Royal Ballet, has broken his silence and said he needs time alone to decide about his future.

He is a prodigiously gifted dancer who has been compared to Rudolf Nureyev and has taken Covent Garden by storm with his passionate and technically brilliant performances.

But last Tuesday Sergei Polunin stunned the world of dance by walking out on the Royal Ballet, which had nurtured him since arriving in Britain as a promising 13 year-old.

Speculation has since been rife as to why Polunin quit the company, just at the point he appeared to have the world at his feet.

Now friends and colleagues have spoken of their concern that the 22-year-old is struggling to cope with the tremendous pressure of performing at such a level.