Elegance: Blowing a kiss at her fans

Though her body may be her fortune, it was her business brain that transformed her from underground star to worldwide phenomenon.

Burlesque - a popular form of entertainment in the Twenties and Forties - had all but disappeared until Dita's skill updated the style for the modern audience.

Her elaborate routines which feature her riding crystal horses or dancing with strategically placed pink feathers cost anything up to $20,000 to stage, and so famous have they become that her fabled act gyrating inside a giant martini glass was emulated by Cameron Diaz in Charlie's Angels.

Dita has performed at parties for the likes of Jade Jagger and the Marquess of Bath's son Ceawlin, modelled for Jean Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs, and is the new face of Wonderbra.