Queen of Burlesque Dita Von Teese reveals all
White Wine Question Time
Biscuit Jim
4.6 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 20 November 2025
⏱️ 51 minutes
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Summary
Our guest on this episode of White Wine Question time is the 'Queen of Burlesque' Dita Von Teese
She's a performer at the very top of her game who’s elevated striptease and burlesque into high art – from martini glasses to Swarovski carousels, she’s transformed a vintage niche into sell out tours around the world, and has her own residency in Vegas.
But her story began far from the spotlight. Born Heather Renée Sweet, she was a shy, self-conscious child who cleaned toilets at her ballet school in exchange for lessons, and dreamed of escaping into the Technicolour world of 1940s Hollywood.
Alongside her stage career, she’s written books, launched perfumes, created lingerie lines, and is even producing her own French gin. She’s appeared in films and music videos for artists from Green Day to Taylor Swift, and continues her Las Vegas residency with over 100 performances a year.
At 53, she shows no signs of slowing down. Next up is Noctornelle, her most ambitious production yet, inspired by 19th-century stage magicians, which will tour the UK in 2026.
She's an incredible artist and this was a Dita at her very honest best. Enjoy!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | coming up on this episode of white wine question time as an experiment i auditioned and i remember |
| 0:09.2 | the manager of the club was like you're wearing a lot of clothes for this club because i was |
| 0:13.4 | wearing a corset bra opera gloves stockings you know my hair was like opera gloves |
| 0:19.5 | there's not a day goes by that i don't think, I can't believe that, like, my little hobby |
| 0:24.5 | turned into this real thing. You know, it's very, like, against the odds and very surprising |
| 0:30.7 | even for me. |
| 0:32.2 | You were literally teaching your act to the world's most famous showgirl right now, Taylor Swift. |
| 0:38.3 | Yeah, to have her get on the phone and know everything about what I did and say she wanted to, like, put the spotlight on what I do. That was really, like, unusual for Hollywood. |
| 0:51.3 | Hello and welcome to White Wine Question Time, the podcast that asked its guest three thought-provoking questions over three glasses of wine. |
| 0:58.6 | And my guest today is, well, has been on numerous occasions described as the most famous stripper in the world. |
| 1:06.3 | A woman internationally hailed, I like to think, as the Queen of Burlesque. |
| 1:11.0 | She grew up in a tiny farming town in Michigan |
| 1:13.4 | before moving to Los Angeles, where she immersed herself in the 90s rave scene. |
| 1:18.2 | She arrived in California with her family as a teenager. |
| 1:21.4 | She was an actual blonde who elected to turn herself Brunette, |
| 1:24.2 | a rava turned 1940s burlesvics, |
| 1:27.2 | and a woman of wonderful juxtapositions and |
| 1:30.1 | contradictions and well, unending glamour. Now 53, she's a performer, producer and creative |
| 1:36.1 | director at the very top of her game, whose elevated striptease and burlesque into high art, |
| 1:42.0 | from martini glasses to Sorosky carousel. She's transformed a vintage niche |
| 1:48.1 | into sellout tools around the world and has her own residency in Vegas to prove it. Alongside her |
| 1:53.7 | stage career, she's written books, she's launched perfumes, created lingerie lines and is even |
... |
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