The Newscracker suite: Sky enlists ballet dancers to make presenters more authoritative

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Bosses at Sky News want its star anchors, including Eamonn Holmes, Kay Burley and Anna Botting, to look more authoritative.

So they have drafted in dancers to teach them techniques based on ballet poses to straighten their spines before they go on air.

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New moves: Sky presenter Anna Botting is put through her paces by English National Ballet dancer Jennie Harrington as part of a scheme to make news anchors more authoritative as well as healthier

Senior principal dancer Agnes Oakes said the exercises make people look "elegant and self-assured". She added: "If you stand up straight with your shoulders down, your tummy in and everything in alignment you look taller, slimmer and more beautiful."

Earlier this week Five ignited a style war between broadcasters by unveiling its £1 million-a-year signing Natasha Kaplinsky, hired to add glamour to the channel's news bulletins. She has been seen lounging on a sofa as she reads the headlines.

English National Ballet, which is sponsored by Sky, has also helped to produce a guide for the broadcaster's 15,000 employees on how to avoid posture problems at work.

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Ballet time: Sky has drafted in dancers to teach presenters techniques based on ballet poses to straighten their spines

Poor posture can decrease height by as much as three inches, affect breathing capacity, digestion and back health, and trigger muscle spasms.

One in six working days lost to ill health is related to back pain. The ballet exercises, called Posture Pointes, keep the body balanced and the spine straight. They include the Swan spinal rotation which involves turning the upper body at your desk to prevent back strain.

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Learning from dancers: It is hoped the exercises will make presenters look 'elegant and self-assured'

The movements were devised by Jackie Pelly, English National Ballet physiotherapist. She said news presenters risk problems as they strain the upper body by staring at an autocue.

She added: "Bad habits, like stooping, carrying heavy shoulder bags and sitting sprawled at your desk can easily lead to poor posture, which can cause irreversible damage in later life."

Lucy Milton, Sky's head of Arts, Sponsorship and Community Investment, said: "It's amazing how much we've learned. We're all guilty of slouching at our desks, but when you see the elegance of the dancers it makes you realise the importance of good posture."