Christopher Dean
OBE
Dean on the Dancing on Ice tour in Manchester, 2010
BornChristopher Colin Dean
(1958-07-27) 27 July 1958
Calverton, Nottinghamshire, England
Height5 ft 10.5 in (1.79 m)[1]
Figure skating career
Country Great Britain
Retired1984, 1994
Medal record
Figure skating
Ice dancing
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1984 SarajevoIce dancing
Bronze medal – third place 1994 LillehammerIce dancing
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1981 HartfordIce dancing
Gold medal – first place 1982 CopenhagenIce dancing
Gold medal – first place 1983 HelsinkiIce dancing
Gold medal – first place 1984 OttawaIce dancing
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1981 InnsbruckIce dancing
Gold medal – first place1982 LyonIce dancing
Gold medal – first place1984 BudapestIce dancing
Gold medal – first place1994 CopenhagenIce dancing

Christopher Colin Dean, OBE (born 27 July 1958) is a British ice dancer who won a gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics with his skating partner Jayne Torvill. They also won a bronze medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Early life

Dean grew up in Calverton, Nottinghamshire. When he was six, his mother left and his father remarried. Dean never talked about this with his father or stepmother, both of whom have died. He has regained contact with his mother.[2]

From 1974 to 1980, he was a police constable with Nottinghamshire Police.

Skating career

Dean began to skate at the age of 10 after he received a pair of skates as a Christmas present. His parents were keen ballroom dancers. At school he was captain of the football team and he saw ice skating as a sport that was athletic and graceful. Dean's first ice partner was Sandra Elson. They began skating together when he was 14 and competed as ice dancers for a few years under their instructor Len Sayward. However, despite becoming British Junior Dance champions, the team parted, as Dean and Elson did not get along well. Dean then agreed to try out Jayne Torvill, another skater at the Nottingham rink. The pair were first coached by Janet Sawbridge but in 1978 Betty Callaway became their coach.

Dean left school at age 16 and joined the Nottingham Police Force in 1974. It was challenging for him to undergo police cadet training, as his schedule often clashed with his skating training sessions. Thus Torvill and Dean had to practise during his off-hours. These difficult times brought them closer and gave them a sense of discipline that was to prove vital throughout their career.

By 1980, Torvill and Dean had progressed to not only become British National Dance Champions but were in medal contention in international competitions as well. It was then that Dean made the decision that he could no longer balance his skating and police careers so he resigned from the police force. Torvill left her job soon after; this was made possible with a Nottingham City Council grant of £42,000.

Dean also served as the chief choreographer for the Torvill and Dean team.

Torvill and Dean performing in 2011

Torvill and Dean's free program at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, performed to the music of Maurice Ravel's Boléro, became world-famous. They received nine 6.0 marks for artistic impression, (three more for technical merit for a total of twelve 6.0 marks) the highest possible score and the only time ever that an all-perfect score was achieved. It was one of the most popular achievements in the history of British sport, watched by a British television audience of 24 million people.[3][4] Since the time limit was four minutes and ten seconds and their music was four minutes 28 seconds, they began on their knees and moved their bodies to the music for 18 seconds before starting to skate.[5][6]

Torvill and Dean turned professional after their 1984 Olympic win. Under then existing Olympic Games rules as professionals they became ineligible to participate in Olympic competition. In 1993 the International Skating Union relaxed the rules for professional skaters, allowing the pair to participate in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer where they won a bronze medal.

Torvill and Dean were admitted to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1989.

From January 2006 - 2023, Torvill and Dean have participated in the ITV show Dancing on Ice. Each season, the televised show runs from January to March with Torvill and Dean as "judges".[7][8][9] The show then migrates to go on tour to arenas across the United Kingdom. The show is scheduled to return in 2024.

In January 2012, Dean said he was open to working with the National Ice Skating Association to help British competitive skating.[10] Torvill and Dean were ambassadors for the 2012 European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England.[10] In February 2014, they visited Sarajevo for the 30th anniversary of the 1984 Olympics, and recreated their Bolero routine in the same arena where they won the gold.[11]

In 2018, Dean choreographed the free program of Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot, who won the gold medal in Pair skating with a world record at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Competitive results

Amateur results

Event 75–76 76–77 77–78 78–79 79–80 80–81 81–82 82–83 83–84 93–94
Olympics 5th 1st 3rd
Worlds 11th 8th 4th 1st 1st 1st 1st
Europeans 9th 6th 4th 1st 1st WD 1st 1st
British Championships 4th 3rd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
NHK Trophy 2nd
St Ivel International 1st 1st
Oberstdorf 2nd 1st
St Gervais 1st
Morzine Trophy 2nd
John Davis Trophy 1st
Sheffield Trophy 1st
Rotary Watches Competition 2nd
Northern Championships 1st
WD: Withdrew

Professional results

Event 1984 1985 1990 1994 1995 1996
World Professional Championships 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
Challenge of Champions 1st 1st 1st
World Team Championship 3rd 1st 1st

Professional programs

1984 1985 1990 1994 1995 1996
World Professional Championships Song of India, Encounter Diablo Tango, Venus Oscar Tango, Revolution / Imagine Encounter Still Crazy After All These Years, Cecilia Take Five, Hat Trick
Challenge of Champions Echoes of Ireland Still Crazy After All These Years, Cecilia Take Five, Hat Trick
World Team Championships Let's Face the Music, Encounter Bridge Over Troubled Water, Cecilia Sarabande, Hat Trick

Amateur programs

OSP/ORD Free Dance Exhibitions
1978 The Great Waldo Pepper
1979 Masquerade Slaughter on Tenth Avenue[12] Evergreen[13]
1980 A Little Street in Singapore Sing Sing Sing etc.[14] Puttin' On the Ritz
1981 Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White) Fame etc.[15] History of Love (version 1)[16]
1982 Summertime[17] Mack and Mabel[18] The Hop, Kiss Me Kate, Fast Tap
1983 Rock n Roll Barnum[19] Putting on the Ritz
1984 Capriccio Espagnol, Rimsky Korsakov Boléro[20] I Won't Send Roses[21]
1994 History of Love (version 2)[22] Let's Face the Music[23] Boléro[20]

Honours

On 28 April 1983, Dean was appointed Honorary Freeman of the City of Nottingham. Dean was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1999.

Personal life

Between 1991 and 1993, Dean was married to French-Canadian World ice dance champion Isabelle Duchesnay whom he met while choreographing for her and her brother Paul Duchesnay in the late 1980s.

On 15 October 1994, Dean married American skater Jill Trenary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They had two sons, Jack Robert and Sam Colin, and resided in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Dean's agent confirmed in March 2010 that the couple had separated. He and Trenary remain on good terms.[24]

He has been in a relationship with Karen Barber since 2011.[25]

Dean also remained close friends with partner Jayne Torvill.[26]

In 2021, Dean took part in an episode of DNA Journey to trace his family roots. He also appeared on The Masked Dancer as Beagle, where he was the fifth celebrity to be unmasked[27]

Dean was portrayed by Will Tudor in the 2018 ITV biopic Torvill & Dean.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Christopher Dean: Bio, Stats and Results". sports-reference.com. 17 April 2020. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  2. ↑ Piers Morgan's Life Stories, 8 March 2013
  3. ↑ "1984: British ice couple score Olympic gold". BBC News. 14 February 1984.
  4. ↑ "100 Greatest Sporting Moments – Results". Channel 4.
  5. ↑ "Athlete Profile – Dean". olympic.org. Archived from the original on 3 January 2006.
  6. ↑ "Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill: how we made Boléro". the Guardian. 22 April 2014. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  7. ↑ "Holly Willoughby to return to Dancing on Ice alongside Stephen Mulhern". BBC News. 28 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Holly Willoughby TV Return".
  9. ↑ "Strictly's Oti Mabuse to join Dancing on Ice as judge". Digital Spy. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  10. 1 2 Williams, Ollie (3 January 2012). "Torvill and Dean could return to help British ice skaters". BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  11. ↑ Sito-Sucic, Daria (14 February 2014). "Torvill & Dean relive Bolero 30 years on". Reuters.
  12. ↑ "Torvill & Dean (GBR) – 1979 World Figure Skating Championships, Ice Dancing, Free Dance". YouTube. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  13. ↑ "Torvill & Dean Evergreen". YouTube. 5 January 2010. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  14. ↑ "Torvill & Dean (GBR) – 1980 Winter Games, Ice Dancing, Free Dance". YouTube. 20 December 2009. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  15. ↑ "Torvill & Dean (GBR) – 1981 World Figure Skating Championships, Free Dance". YouTube. 24 April 2010. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  16. ↑ "1981 History Of Love Torvill and Dean". YouTube. 21 June 2009. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  17. ↑ "Torvill & Dean – 1982". Torvillanddean.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  18. ↑ "Torvill & Dean – 1983 Part 1". Torvillanddean.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  19. ↑ "Torvill & Dean – 1983 Part 2". Torvillanddean.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  20. 1 2 "Torvill & Dean – 1984 Part 2". Torvillanddean.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  21. ↑ "Torvill & Dean (GBR) – 1984 Sarajevo, Figure Skating, Exhibition (Encore)". YouTube. 4 January 2010. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  22. ↑ "Torvill & Dean – 1994 Part 1". Torvillanddean.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  23. ↑ "Torvill & Dean – 1994 Part 2". Torvillanddean.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  24. ↑ "Piers Morgan's Life Stories – Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean – Part 4 of 4 – 8th March 2013 – YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  25. ↑ "Who is Christopher Dean's partner? Inside his relationship with Karen Barber". hellomagazine.com. 9 February 2020.
  26. ↑ Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean: DNA Journey
  27. ↑ "The Masked Dancer viewers floored as Christopher Dean reveals his age after being unveiled as Beagle". Birmingham mail.co.uk. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2023.

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