Jayne Torvill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jayne TorvillOBE |
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Torvill on the Dancing on Ice tour in Manchester, 2010
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| Country represented |  Great Britain |
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| Born | 7 October 1957 Clifton, Nottingham, England |
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| Height | 5 ft 2.5 in (1.59 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former partner | Michael Hutchinson (pairs), Christopher Dean (ice dance) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former coach | Betty Callaway Janet Sawbridge |
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| Retired | 1984, 1994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Jayne Torvill, who has an OBE award, was born on 7 October 1957. She is a British professional ice dancer and used to compete in the sport. With her skating partner, Christopher Dean, she won a gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics. They also won a bronze medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics. This made her one of the oldest figure skaters to win an Olympic medal.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Skating
Jayne Torvill was born in Clifton, Nottingham, England. She grew up in Nottingham. As a child, she went to Clifton Hall Girls' Grammar School. Before becoming a full-time skater, she worked as an insurance clerk.
Jayne became very interested in ice skating when she was 8 years old. This happened after a school trip to a local ice rink.
Becoming an Ice Dance Champion
In 1971, when Jayne was 14, she became the British National Pairs Champion. Her partner at that time was Michael Hutchinson.
After skating with Michael, Jayne continued to skate alone for a while. Then, in 1975, she teamed up with Christopher Dean. They competed in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, and finished 5th. After this, both Jayne and Christopher decided to skate full-time. Christopher left his job as a policeman, and Jayne left her job as an insurance clerk.
Torvill and Dean became world-famous for their free dance at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics. They performed to the music of Maurice Ravel's Boléro. They received twelve perfect scores of 6.0. This was one of five times they earned all perfect scores for their artistic performance.
Their performance was one of the most popular moments in British sports history. About 24 million people in Britain watched it on television. The music for Boléro was four minutes and 28 seconds long. However, the time limit for their routine was four minutes and ten seconds. To fit the music, they started their performance on their knees. They moved their bodies to the music for 18 seconds before they began to skate.
After winning the Olympics in 1984, Torvill and Dean became professional skaters. At that time, Olympic rules meant that professional skaters could not compete in the Olympics again. But in 1993, the International Skating Union changed these rules. This allowed them to compete in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. There, they won a bronze medal.
Jayne took a break from skating for seven years, from 1998 to 2005.
Dancing on Ice and Other Appearances
From January 2006 to 2023, Jayne and Christopher were judges on the ITV show Dancing on Ice. Each year, the show runs from January to March. After the TV show, they go on tour to arenas across the United Kingdom. In 2011, Jayne said that the skating skills on the show get better each year. Dancing on Ice is planned to return in 2024.
Torvill and Dean were also special helpers for the 2012 European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England. In February 2014, they went back to Sarajevo. This was for the 30th anniversary of their 1984 Olympic win. They performed their famous Bolero routine again in the same arena where they won gold.
Personal Life
Jayne Torvill lives in Heathfield, East Sussex, England. She lives with her husband, Phil Christensen, and their adopted children, Kieran and Jessica.
In 2021, Jayne was part of a TV show called DNA Journey. On the show, she found out she was related to a footballer named Charlie Bicknell. He is a cousin on her mother's side of the family.
See also
In Spanish: Jayne Torvill para niños
- Torvill and Dean
