Karen Barber facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Karen Barber |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Karen Barber | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  Great Britain |
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| Born | 21 June 1961 Manchester, England |
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| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former partner | Nicky Slater Kim Spreyer |
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| Skating club | Richmond Ice Dance & Figure Skating Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Karen Barber was born on June 21, 1961, in Manchester, England. She is a well-known British ice dancer. She won a bronze medal at the European Championships in 1983. Karen also competed in two Olympic Games with her skating partner, Nicky Slater.
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Karen Barber's Skating Journey
Karen Barber started her skating career with a partner named Kim Spreyer. Together, they won a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in 1977. This was a great start to her competitive journey!
After that partnership, Karen teamed up with Nicky Slater. They became a very successful ice dancing pair. One of their biggest achievements was winning the bronze medal at the European Championships in 1983.
Karen and Nicky also had the amazing experience of representing Great Britain at the Olympic Winter Games. They competed in the 1980 Winter Olympics, where they finished 12th. Four years later, they returned to the Olympics in 1984 and improved their ranking, placing 6th.
After she stopped competing, Karen continued to be involved in skating. She worked as a coach, helping other skaters improve. She also performed professionally, showing off her skills to audiences.
Karen Barber on TV
Many people know Karen Barber from the popular TV show Dancing On Ice. She first joined the show in 2006 as a judge. She helped decide which celebrity skaters performed best.
In 2011, Karen took on a new role as the head coach for the show. She guided the celebrities and their professional partners. She stayed as head coach for the 2011 and 2012 series. She returned to the judging panel in 2013 and remained there until the show's ninth series ended in 2014.
Karen did not appear in the 2018 series. However, she returned to Dancing On Ice in 2019 as the head coach for its eleventh series.
Karen Barber's Family Life
Karen Barber has two daughters named Laura and Emma. She also has a partner, Christopher Dean, who is another famous figure skater.
Karen Barber's Top Achievements
Karen Barber had a very successful career in ice dancing. Here are some of her main achievements:
- 1977 World Junior Championships: Silver medal (with Kim Spreyer)
- 1983 European Championships: Bronze medal (with Nicky Slater)
- 1984 Winter Olympics: 6th place (with Nicky Slater)
- 1983-84 NHK Trophy: Gold medal (with Nicky Slater)
- 1984-85 British Championships: Gold medal (with Nicky Slater)
