- Britain's first professional black ballerina, Julie Felix, appeared on BBC's The Repair Shop to have her historic pointe shoes meticulously restored.
- Felix brought the ballet shoes she wore for her first professional solo performance four decades ago, which held significant sentimental value.
- She shared her experience of racial discrimination in the 1970s, being rejected by a London ballet company due to her race, which led her to join the all-black Dance Theatre Of Harlem in New York.
- The restored shoes symbolise her achievement of performing a solo role at the Royal Opera House, a moment she shared with her late mother, who was her staunchest supporter.
- Felix, who received an MBE in 2024 for services to dance education, was deeply moved by the restoration, fulfilling her mother's wish to display the shoes in their home.
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