Jayne Torvill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jayne TorvillOBE |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg)
Torvill on the Dancing on Ice tour in Manchester, 2010
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  Great Britain |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 October 1957 Clifton, Nottingham, England |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 2.5 in (1.59 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former partner | Michael Hutchinson (pairs), Christopher Dean (ice dance) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former coach | Betty Callaway Janet Sawbridge |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1984, 1994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jayne Torvill, who has an OBE award, was born on October 7, 1957. She is a British professional ice dancer and a former competitor. Jayne and her partner, Christopher Dean, are thought to be among the best ice dancers ever.
The pair won a gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics. They also earned a bronze medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics. This made them some of the oldest figure skating Olympic medalists. They were also four-time world and European champions. Plus, they won the British championships seven times.
Contents
Early Life and Skating Start
Jayne Torvill was born and grew up in Clifton, Nottingham, England. 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.
Early Partnerships
In 1971, when she was 14, Torvill won gold. This was at the British Pairs Figure Skating Championship. Her partner at that time was Michael Hutchinson. They also won silver medals in 1970 and 1972.
After skating with Michael, Jayne skated alone for a while. Then, in 1975, she decided to team up with Christopher Dean.
Becoming Olympic Champions
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean placed 5th at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. After this, they both quit their jobs. Dean was a policeman, and Torvill was an insurance clerk. They decided to focus on skating together full-time.
Their most famous performance was at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics. They performed their free program to Maurice Ravel's Boléro. The music had to be shortened from 17 minutes to just 4 minutes.
They received twelve perfect 6.0 scores from the judges. This was one of five times they earned all perfect scores for their artistic performance. It was a huge moment in British sports history. About 24 million people in Britain watched it on TV. The time limit for their music was four minutes and ten seconds. Their music was four minutes and 28 seconds long. So, they started on their knees and moved their bodies to the music for 18 seconds before they began to skate.
Life After the Olympics
After winning the 1984 Olympics, Torvill and Dean became professional skaters. At that time, Olympic rules meant professionals could not compete in the Olympics again. However, 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 then took a break from skating from 1998 to 2005.
Dancing on Ice
From January 2006 until March 2025, Jayne and Dean were judges on the ITV show Dancing on Ice. Each year, the show ran from January to March. Then, it went on tour to arenas across the United Kingdom. In November 2011, Torvill mentioned that the skating level on the show got better each year. Dancing on Ice ended on ITV after 19 years.
Other Appearances
Torvill and Dean were special ambassadors for the 2012 European Figure Skating Championships. This event took place in Sheffield, England. In February 2014, Torvill and Dean visited Sarajevo. This was for the 30th anniversary of the 1984 Olympics. They even performed their Bolero routine again in the same arena where they won gold.
Personal Life
Jayne Torvill married Phil Christensen in 1990. They have two children together.
In 1993, both Jayne and Christopher Dean received special degrees. Nottingham Trent University gave them Honorary Master of Arts degrees. This was for their great work in ice dance. It also recognized their help in making it a creative art.
Images for kids
-
Torvill on the Dancing on Ice tour in Manchester, 2010
-
Torvill and Dean performing in 2011
See also
In Spanish: Jayne Torvill para niños
