Merrill Ashley

'I get up at 6am to exercise. The life of a dancer is very disciplined and I have lived with a routine most of my life.

I start by doing some stretching and head to the pool for some water aerobics to keep my body in shape. Then I finish off with breakfast of some fruit and oatmeal.

On mornings when I don't have to go to the office I play tennis at a nearby sports club.

I've been a dancer all my life and it's important to keep in shape because ballet is so hard on the body. I've had two hip replacements and countless sprains. The worst years were in the 1980s, when I was getting severe back pain and no one was able to help me. I saw doctors, acupuncturists and therapists because my back was misaligned and the joint in my hip started to wear. Finally, I found a chiropractor who was able to help me.

I was born in Minnesota [in the US] and my family later moved to Vermont. Ever since I was five, when I saw my older sister take ballet lessons, I knew it was what I wanted to do. My parents moved to New York for me to study at the School of American Ballet. At the age of 16, when I was in the corps de ballet at the New York City Ballet, I became a soloist, then a principal.

I've been with the New York City Ballet since 1964, making me the longest-serving female member. I've also lived in the same apartment block since 1975, just a few streets down from the Lincoln Centre, where the company is located. For over 30 years, I've walked from my apartment block down to the Lincoln Centre. I relish that sense of discipline. I like the fact that, as a dancer, you have to have discipline. I am now semi-retired and I work as a rehearser for The George Balanchine Foundation. I train the principal.