Jayne Torvill is a British expert ice dancer and former competitor. She is famous for winning a team Ice Dancing gold medal at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, followed by a bronze in 1994. She won her first regional figure skating championship at the Northern Championships in 1975. She was also a four-time World Champion and seven-time British Champion in her career. She made her Olympic debut with Christopher Dean at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, and finished 5th. She retired in 1994 and began starring in the ITV show Dancing on Ice in January 2006.
What is Jayne Torvill Famous For?
- Being a professional ice dancer and former competition.
- Becoming one of the oldest figure skating Olympic medalists.
Who are the Parents of Jayne Torvill?
Jayne Torvill took birth on 7th October 1957 in Clifton, Nottingham, England. She holds British nationality and her ethnicity is British-White. Her race is White. Libra is her Zodiac sign and she follows the Christianity religion. She celebrated her 64th birthday as of 2021.
About his parents, she was born to her father, George, and her mother, Betty Torvill. She was related to footballer Charlie Bicknell, a cousin on her mother’s side. Her father worked at Raleigh bicycles and her mother was a machinist before they owned a sweet shop.
Focusing on her education, she attended the Clifton Hall Girls’ Grammar School. Initially, she worked in the city as an insurance clerk at Norwich Union. She had been interested in ice skating. Since her childhood, she got addicted to ice skating at the tender age of 8, when she visited a local ice rink.
Jayne Torvill Ice Skating Career
- At the age of eight, Jayne Torvill began her ice skating career following an after-school trip to the local ice rink.
- In 1971, when her age turned 14, she became the British National Pairs Champion with her then-partner Michael Hutchinson.
- After her split from Hutchinson, she continued to skate on her own for a while before teaming up with Christopher Dean in the year 1975.
- The duo won their first international ice-skating contest in St. Gervais in 1976.
- In 1978, the pair became British national champions and earned their first 6.0 for artistry.
- After Dean and Torvill placed 5th in the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, Dean gave up his job as a policeman and Torvill gave up hers as an insurance clerk to skate together full-time.
Everything To Know About Christopher Dean
- In 1981, the pair won the first of their four world championships and the first of their four European championships.
- At the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics free program, Torvill and Dean performed to the music of Maurice Ravel’s Boléro and became world-famous. The duo received twelve perfect 6.0 marks, one of five occasions they were awarded all perfect scores for the artistic impression which was one of the most popular achievements in the history of British sport, watched by a British television audience of 24 million people.
- Torvill and Dean then turned professional after their 1984 Olympic win.
- The pair participated in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer where they won a bronze medal.
- In 1998, the duo retired from competitive skating, after touring for the last time with their own skating show, Ice Adventures.
- They were also seen in Stars on Ice, their last performance on the show is a dance set to Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years”.
- She took a seven-year break from skating from 1998–2005.
- In January 2006, she and Dean began starring in the ITV show “Dancing on Ice”. Each year, the show runs from January to March and then goes on tour to arenas across the United Kingdom.
- In November 2011, she said, “the standard each year has gotten higher and higher, which is exciting for us – to think what we can achieve with people who have never skated or are relatively unknown to skating.”
- Torvill and Dean were also ambassadors for the 2012 European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England.
- In February 2014, Torvill and Dean also visited Sarajevo for the 30th anniversary of the 1984 Olympics and recreated their Bolero routine in the same arena where they won the gold.
- As an actress, she has even appeared in the TV movie “Fire & Ice” (1986), the series “The Full Wax” (1991), and the musical “Bach Cello Suite #6: Six Gestures” (1997).
- With Christopher, Jayne has written a combined autobiography named Torvill & Dean: The Autobiography of Ice Dancing’s Gold Medal Winners. Moreover, the duo has written another book, titled Facing the Music.
Jayne Torvill Awards and Achievements
- Jayne was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Nottingham on 28th April 1983.
- BBC declared Jayne and Christopher the network’s Sports Personalities of the Year.
- Jayne and Christopher received the honor of the Member of the British Empire (MBE).
- Jayne and Christopher was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1989.
- Jayne and Christopher received honorary Master of Arts degrees from Nottingham Trent University in 1993.
- Jayne and Christopher both received the title of the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) as per the 2000 Queen’s Millennium (New Year) Honours list.
Who is Jayne Torvill Husband?
Jayne Torvill is a married woman. She married her handsome husband, Phil Christensen in 1990. By profession, Phil is a sound engineer. The duo is also blessed with two children namely Kieran and Jessica (both children adopted). Her sexual orientation is straight. At present, the happily married couple is enjoying their present life happily without any disturbances. The family is residing in East Sussex.
Back in the year 2013, Jayne revealed that she had tried a lot to conceive. She also said that she had earlier suffered an ectopic pregnancy and had then undergone a year-long IVF treatment. Sadly, all treatments failed to help her conceive. Due to this, a friend of hers convinced her to adopt.
What is Jayne Torvill Net Worth?
Jayne Torvill is a successful ice skater who has made a cool amount of money throughout her career work. As of 2022, the net worth of Jayne Torvill is estimated to have $8 Million. Her main source of wealth is from ice dancing career. She is satisfied with her earnings at present. Whereas her exact salary and earnings are still to get disclosed yet.
How tall is Jayne Torvill?
Jayne Torvill is a beautiful woman. She stands at the height of 5 feet 6 inches. Her balanced bodyweight measures 55 KG. She has a pair of blue eyes and her hair color is brown. Her body type is average. She has got a helathy body at present.
Did You Know?
- Torvill was portrayed by Poppy Lee Friar in the 2018 biopic Torvill & Dean.
- When she was eight years old, Torvill’s teacher began taking her and a few other classmates to the local skating rink.
- Libra is her Zodiac sign.
- Her first dalliance with competitive figure skating was in 1971.
- Before taking up ice skating professionally, Jayne Torvill was an insurance clerk.
- After turning professional, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won the world title four years in succession from 1981.