in a method of controlling a variable speed wind turbine, said wind turbine comprising a double-fed asynchronous generator having rotor windings and stator windings and means for controlling the wind turbine speed, the method comprises the following steps:—measuring or calculating, based on measured parameters, the active electrical power (Pr) in the rotor windings, comparing the active electrical power (Pr) in the rotor windings with a preset limit (PrLimit), when the active electrical power (Pr) in the rotor windings exceeds the preset limit (PrLimit), controlling the wind turbine speed to minimize the difference between the active electrical power (Pr) in the rotor windings and a preset reference (PrRef). The rotor power (Pr) is kept at a reduced level, thus avoiding overload of wind turbine generator components.