I actually hated dancing. My mum used to have to bribe me to go by buying me things. A year before I stopped going, I was going to go for an audition with the Royal Ballet. It turned out I was a year too young. Because I was tall, they thought I was older. But before I had the chance to go back, I quit.

At primary school, it was always me and this other girl, Lauren, who would fight over who was the fastest every year. I was quicker, but for some reason, she always got the glory leg in the relay team. That used to annoy me.

My mum was a dancer. She would tour the world with a group, and she had me in a dance class when I was still in a nappy. They told her to come back when I could walk.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson Quotes