View source for Diane Towler

{{Short description|English ice dancer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-E0324-0012-001, Diana Towler, Bernard Ford.jpg|thumb|Towler and Ford in 1966]]
'''Diane Margaret Towler''' [[Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|MBE]] married '''Green''', (born 16 December 1946) is an English former [[ice dancer]] and currently a figure skating coach. She is a four-time (1966–1969) [[World Figure Skating Championships|World]] and [[European Figure Skating Championships|European champion]] with skating partner [[Bernard Ford]].

==Personal life==
Diane Towler-Green was born 16 December 1946 in [[Kensington]], [[London]]. She is the mother of ice dancers [[Candice Towler-Green]] and [[Phillipa Towler-Green]],<ref name=IDC040220/> and the aunt of Mark Bosley.

==Career==
Towler was partnered with [[Bernard Ford]] by the duo's coach, Gladys Hogg.<ref name=AS2007/> The two debuted at the World Championships in [[1964 World Figure Skating Championships|1964]], finishing 13th. In 1965, they finished just off the podium in 4th. Towler/Ford won gold at the [[1966 European Figure Skating Championships|1966 European Championships]] and went on to win their first [[1966 World Figure Skating Championships|World title]]. They would win the World and European titles for four consecutive seasons.<ref name=CV1/>

At the [[1968 Winter Olympics]], Towler/Ford skated in a demonstration event for ice dancing,<ref name=CV2022/> winning the gold medal. Ice dancing became an official part of the Winter Olympics in 1976.

Towler, alongside Ford, was appointed of [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the [[1969 Birthday Honours]] for services to ice dancing,<ref>United Kingdom list: {{London Gazette |issue=44863 |date=6 June 1969 |pages=5978 |supp=y}}</ref> and both were inducted into the World Figure skating Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs in 1993.<ref name=CV3/> Their best-known program was skated to the theme from ''[[Zorba the Greek]]''. After retiring from amateur competition, they performed in ice shows until Ford moved to [[Canada]].

Towler became a figure skating coach. Her ice dancing students include:<ref name=AS2007/>
* [[Janet Sawbridge]] / [[Peter Dalby]] (1972 Europeans bronze medalists)
* [[Candice Towler-Green]] / James Phillipson
* [[Phillipa Towler-Green]] / [[Phillip Poole]], both British Junior champions and world competitors
* Debbie Burne / Mark Bosley, British junior champions and 5th at Junior Worlds <ref name=CV2/>
* [[Elizabeth Coates]] / Alan Abretti who competed at the World and European Championships
* Ashlie Slatter / Atl Ongay-Pérez, youngest British National Junior silver medalists 2022,<ref name=CV2023/> 2023/24 British Junior national Champions, Junior Grand Prix 2022 competitors,<ref name=CV4/><ref name=CV5/> and youngest [[2023 World Junior Figure Skating Championships|Junior Worlds 2023]] competitors to qualify and subsequently place 18th.<ref name=CV6/>

==Results==
(with Ford)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Event
! {{tooltip|63–64|1963–64}}
! 64–65
! 65–66
! 66–67
! 67–68
! 68–69
|- 
| align=left | [[World Figure Skating Championships|World Championships]] || 13th || 4th || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st
|-
| align=left | [[European Figure Skating Championships|European Championships]] || || 4th || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st
|- 
| align=left | [[British Ice Figure and Dance Championships|British Nationals]] || || bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=IDC040220>{{cite news |url= http://ice-dance.com/news/interviews/interview-02202004-towlergreen.htm |title= INTERVIEWS: Diane Towler-Green |work= ice-dance.com |date= 20 February 2004 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071011032208/http://ice-dance.com/news/interviews/interview-02202004-towlergreen.htm |archivedate= 11 October 2007}}</ref>

<ref name=AS2007>{{cite news |url= http://absoluteskating.com/index.php?cat=interviews&id=2007dianetowler |title= Diane Towler – Where It All Began |first1= Huriye |last1= Ömer |first2= Helga |last2= Dobor |work= Absolute Skating |year= 2007 }}</ref>

<ref name=CV2022>{{cite news |url= https://www.johnds.org/bfsc22/CAT008RS.htm |title=Ice Dancing Demonstration at the Winter Olympics  |work= Topend Sports |year= 1968 }}</ref>

<ref name=CV2>{{cite news |url= https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2022/07/historical-records-from-british-figure.html|title=Historical Records From The British Figure and Ice Dancing Championships  |work= Skate Guard Blog |date= 3 July 2022 }}</ref>

<ref name=CV3>{{cite news |title=Copley-Graves, Lynn (1992). Figure Skating History: The Evolution of Dance on Ice. Platoro Press. p. 108. ISBN 0-9631758-1-5. }}</ref>

<ref name=CV4>{{cite news |url= http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2223/jgplat2022/CAT004RS.htm |title=ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating  |work= Riga |date= September 2022 }}</ref>

<ref name=CV5>{{cite news |url= http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2223/jgpita2022/CAT003RS.htm |title=ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating  |work= Egna |date= October 2022 }}</ref>

<ref name=CV1>{{cite news |url= https://www.iceskating.org.uk/about-ice-skating |title= A Brief History of Ice and the National Ice Skating Association of Great Britain |first= Denis L. |last= Bird |work= British Ice Skating Association |year= 2010 }}</ref>

<ref name=CV2023>{{cite news |url= https://www.johnds.org/bfsc22/CAT008RS.htm |title=British Figure Skating Championships 2022 |work=  Junior Ice Dance Result  |year= 2022 }}</ref>

<ref name=CV6>{{cite news |url= http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2223/wjc2023/CAT004RS.htm |title=ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2023 |work=  Ice Dance Result  |year= 2023 }}</ref>

}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929102928/http://www.eskatefans.com/skatabase/worlddance1960.html Skatabase: 1960-1969 Worlds: Ice Dancing Results]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929102909/http://www.eskatefans.com/skatabase/eurodance1960.html Skatabase: 1960-1969 Europeans: Ice Dancing Results]

{{Commons category|Diane Towler}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Towler, Diane}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English female ice dancers]]
[[Category:British figure skating coaches]]
[[Category:World Figure Skating Championships medalists]]
[[Category:European Figure Skating Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Female sports coaches]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportswomen]]