View source for Jayne Torvill

{{short description|English ice skater (born 1957)}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox figure skater
| honorific_prefix = [[Dame]]
| name = Jayne Torvill
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|DBE}}
| country = {{GBR2}}
| image = Jayne Torvill (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 260px
| caption = Torvill on the ''Dancing on Ice'' tour in Manchester, 2010
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|10|7|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Clifton, Nottingham]], England
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=2.5}}<ref name="Sports">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/to/jayne-torvill-1.html |title=Jayne Torvill] |work=sports-reference.com|access-date=23 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523063436/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/to/jayne-torvill-1.html |url-status=dead|archive-date=23 May 2015}}</ref>
| retired = 1984, 1994
| medaltemplates = <!-- see [[Template:MedalRelatedTemplates]] -->
{{MedalSport| [[Figure skating]]}}
{{MedalSport| [[Ice dancing]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{GBR2}}}}
{{MedalCompetition| [[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalBronze| [[1994 Winter Olympics|1994 Lillehammer]]|[[Figure skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics|Ice dancing]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1984 Winter Olympics|1984 Sarajevo]]|[[Figure skating at the 1984 Winter Olympics|Ice dancing]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[World Figure Skating Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1984 World Figure Skating Championships|1984 Ottawa]]|Ice dancing}}
{{MedalGold| [[1983 World Figure Skating Championships|1983 Helsinki]]|Ice dancing}}
{{MedalGold| [[1982 World Figure Skating Championships|1982 Copenhagen]]|Ice dancing}}
{{MedalGold| [[1981 World Figure Skating Championships|1981 Hartford]]|Ice dancing}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[European Figure Skating Championships|European Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1994 European Figure Skating Championships|1994 Copenhagen]]|Ice dancing}}
{{MedalGold|[[1984 European Figure Skating Championships|1984 Budapest]]|Ice dancing}}
{{MedalGold|[[1982 European Figure Skating Championships|1982 Lyon]]|Ice dancing}}
{{MedalGold|[[1981 European Figure Skating Championships|1981 Innsbruck]]|Ice dancing}}
| birth_name = Jayne Torvill
}}
'''Dame Jayne Christensen'''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Moldoveanu |first=Rucsandra |date=December 29, 2025 |title=Ice skating legends Torvill and Dean receive damehood and knighthood |url=https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/nottingham-ice-skating-legends-torvill-10728373 |access-date=December 30, 2025 |website=[[Nottinghamshire Live]] |language=en}}</ref> ({{Nee|Torvill}}; born 7 October 1957) is a British professional [[ice dancer]] and former competitor. She and her partner [[Christopher Dean]] are considered amongst the greatest ice dancers of all time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/figureskating/opinion/2011/11/pjs-all-time-top-10-ice-dance.html |title=Pj's all-time top 10: Ice dance |date=22 November 2011 |first=P. J. |last=Kwong |publisher=[[CBC Sports]] |accessdate=29 March 2025}}</ref> The pair won a gold medal at the [[1984 Winter Olympics]], as well as a bronze medal at the [[1994 Winter Olympics]], becoming one of the oldest figure skating Olympic medalists. They were also four-time world and European champions and seven-time British champions.

==Early life==
Torvill was born in [[Clifton, Nottingham]], England, and grew up in Nottingham.<ref name="clifton">{{cite news|url= https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/torvill-deans-life-stories-appear-9048620.amp |title= Torvill and Dean's life stories as they appear on ITV Dancing on Ice |author=Zena Hawley|work= nottinghampost.com |access-date= 2025-02-23|date=21 January 2024}}</ref> She attended [[Clifton Hall Girls' Grammar School]] and worked in the city as an insurance clerk at [[Norwich Union]].<ref name="clifton"/>

==Ice dance career==
{{See also|Torvill and Dean#Careers}}
She became captivated by ice skating at age 8 following an after-school trip to the local ice rink. In 1971, at age 14, Torvill won gold at the [[British Figure Skating Championships|British Pairs Figure Skating Championship]] with her then-partner Michael Hutchinson.<ref name="clifton"/> They also took silver in 1970 and 1972.<ref name="clifton"/> 

After parting from Hutchinson, Torvill continued to skate on her own for a while before deciding to team up with Christopher Dean in 1975.<ref name="clifton"/> On placing 5th in the [[1980 Winter Olympics]] at [[Lake Placid, New York|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.<ref name="clifton"/>
[[File:Jayne_Torvill_and_Christopher_Dean_-_Dancing_on_Ice_2011.jpg|thumb|right|[[Torvill and Dean]] performing in 2011]]

[[Torvill and Dean]]'s free programme at the 1984 [[Sarajevo]] Winter Olympics, performed to the music of [[Maurice Ravel|Maurice Ravel's]] ''[[Boléro]]'', which had to be cut down from 17 minutes to just 4 minutes.<ref name="clifton"/> They received twelve perfect 6.0 marks, one of five occasions they were awarded all perfect scores for artistic impression. It was one of the most popular achievements in the history of British sport, watched by a British television audience of 24 million people.<ref name=bbc840214/><ref name=CH4GSM/> 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.<ref name=olybioJT/><ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-04-22|title=Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill: how we made Boléro|url=http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/apr/22/how-we-made-bolero-christopher-dean-jayne-torvill|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222055125/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/apr/22/how-we-made-bolero-christopher-dean-jayne-torvill|archive-date=2022-02-22|access-date=2022-02-22|website=[[the Guardian]]|language=en}}</ref>

Torvill and Dean turned professional after their 1984 Olympic win and under then-existing Olympic Committee rules their professional status made them ineligible to compete in the Olympics again. However, 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 took a seven-year break from skating from 1998 to 2005.<ref name=":0"/> 

From January 2006 to March 2025, she and Dean participated in the ITV show ''[[Dancing on Ice (UK)|Dancing on Ice]]'' as "judges".<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2023-12-28 |title=Holly Willoughby to return to Dancing on Ice alongside Stephen Mulhern |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67832517 |access-date=2023-12-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Holly Willoughby Returns To ITV |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2023-12-28/holly-willoughby-to-make-tv-return-alongside-stephen-mulhern}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-22 |title=Strictly's Oti Mabuse to join Dancing on Ice as judge |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a38583523/dancing-on-ice-oti-mabuse-judge/ |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=Digital Spy |language=en-GB}}</ref> Each season, the show runs from January to March and then goes [[Dancing on Ice: The Tour|on tour]] to arenas across the United Kingdom. In November 2011, Torvill 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." ''Dancing on Ice'' ended on ITV after 19 years due to a drop in ratings.<ref name=":0" />

Torvill and Dean were ambassadors for the [[2012 European Figure Skating Championships]] in [[Sheffield]], England.<ref name=bbc120103>{{cite news | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-sports/16234415 | title = Torvill and Dean could return to help British ice skaters | first = Ollie | last = Williams | date = 3 January 2012 | access-date = 3 January 2012 }}</ref> In February 2014, Torvill and Dean visited Sarajevo for the 30th anniversary of the 1984 Olympics, and recreated their Bolero routine in the same arena where they won the gold.<ref name=reuters140214/>

==Personal life==
Torvill married Phil Christensen in 1990, and they are parents of two adopted children.<ref name="clifton"/> 

She was appointed a [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[1981 New Year Honours]] for services to ice dancing,<ref>UK list: {{London Gazette |issue=48639 |date=12 June 1981 |pages=17  |supp=y}}</ref> promoted to [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[2000 New Year Honours]] for services to ice skating,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=55710 |date=30 December 1999 |page=12  |supp=y}}</ref> and appointed [[Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (DBE) in the [[2026 New Year Honours]] for services to Ice Skating and to Voluntary Service.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=64940 |date=29 December 2025 |page=N7 |supp=y }}</ref>

In 1993, she and Dean were awarded Honorary Master of Arts degrees by [[Nottingham Trent University]] for services to ice dance and their contribution to its development as a creative art.<ref name="clifton"/>

== Competitive results ==

=== Pair skating with Hutchinson ===
{|  class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! style="background-color: #ffdead; " colspan=4 align=center | '''International''' 
|-
! Event
! 1971 
! 1972
! 1973
|-
| align=left | [[European Figure Skating Championships|European Championships]] || || 18th || 
|-
! style="background-color: #ffdead; " colspan=4 align=center | '''National''' 
|-
| align=left | [[British Figure Skating Championships|British Championships]] || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=silver | 2nd 
|}

=== Amateur results with Dean ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!Event
!75–76
!76–77
!77–78
!78–79
!79–80
!80–81
!81–82
!82–83
!83–84
!93–94
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |[[Figure skating at the Olympic Games|Olympics]]
|
|
|
|
|5th
|
|
|
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:#c96;" |3rd
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |[[World Figure Skating Championships|Worlds]]
|
|
|11th
|8th
|4th
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |[[European Figure Skating Championships|Europeans]]
|
|
|9th
|6th
|4th
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| align="center" |{{abbr|WD|Withdrew}}
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |[[British Figure Skating Championships|British Championships]]
|
|4th
| style="background:#c96;" |3rd
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |[[NHK Trophy]]
|
|
|
|
| style="background:silver;" |2nd
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |St Ivel International
|
|
|
|
|
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|
|
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |Oberstdorf
|
| style="background:silver;" |2nd
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |St Gervais
|
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |Morzine Trophy
|
|
|
| style="background:silver;" |2nd
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |John Davis Trophy
|
|
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |Sheffield Trophy
|
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |Rotary Watches Competition
|
|
|
| style="background:silver;" |2nd
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |Northern Championships
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| colspan="11" align="center" |<small>WD: Withdrew</small>
|}

=== Professional results with Dean ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!Event
!1984
!1985
!1990
!1994
!1995
!1996
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |[[World Professional Figure Skating Championships|World Professional Championships]]
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |Challenge of Champions
|
|
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |World Team Championship
|
|
|
| style="background:#c96;" |3rd
| style="background:gold;" |1st
| style="background:gold;" |1st
|}

== Professional programmes ==
{{see also|Torvill and Dean#The professional years 1984–1998}}
{| class="wikitable"
!
!1984
!1985
!1990
!1994
!1995
!1996
|-
|[[World Professional Figure Skating Championships|World Professional Championships]]
|[[Sadko (opera)|Song of India]], Encounter
|Diablo Tango, Venus
|Oscar Tango, [[Revolution (Beatles song)|Revolution]] / [[Imagine (John Lennon song)|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 (song)|Bridge Over Troubled Water]], [[Cecilia (Simon & Garfunkel song)|Cecilia]]
|Sarabande, Hat Trick
|}

== Amateur programmes ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!
!OSP/ORD
!Free Dance
!Exhibitions
|-
|1978
|
|[[The Great Waldo Pepper]]
|
|-
|1979
|[[Masquerade (Khachaturian)|Masquerade]]
|[[Slaughter on Tenth Avenue]]<ref>{{cite web|date=21 April 2010|title=Torvill & Dean (GBR) – 1979 World Figure Skating Championships, Ice Dancing, Free Dance|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqmp276DENg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/Rqmp276DENg| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|access-date=17 October 2011|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
|[[Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)|Evergreen]]<ref>{{cite web|date=5 January 2010|title=Torvill & Dean Evergreen|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4JTI_2zWlE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/C4JTI_2zWlE| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|access-date=17 October 2011|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
|-
|1980
|A Little Street in Singapore
|Sing Sing Sing etc.<ref>{{cite web|date=20 December 2009|title=Torvill & Dean (GBR) – 1980 Winter Games, Ice Dancing, Free Dance|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzeqrQGye_U |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/fzeqrQGye_U| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|access-date=17 October 2011|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
|[[Puttin' On the Ritz]]
|-
|1981
|[[Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)]]
|[[Fame (1980 film)|Fame]] etc.<ref>{{cite web|date=24 April 2010|title=Torvill & Dean (GBR) – 1981 World Figure Skating Championships, Free Dance|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsOSQAJ7DTI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/wsOSQAJ7DTI| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|access-date=17 October 2011|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
|History of Love (version 1)<ref>{{cite web|date=21 June 2009|title=1981 History Of Love Torvill and Dean|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dinMYVnpFlo&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL5A657F8D4C078C3E|url-status=dead|access-date=17 October 2011|publisher=YouTube|archive-date=10 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110113109/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dinMYVnpFlo&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL5A657F8D4C078C3E}}</ref>
|-
|1982
|[[Summertime (George Gershwin song)|Summertime]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Torvill & Dean – 1982|url=http://www.torvillanddean.com/video82.html|access-date=17 October 2011|publisher=Torvillanddean.com|archive-date=2 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402093048/http://www.torvillanddean.com/video82.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|[[Mack and Mabel]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Torvill & Dean – 1983 Part 1|url=http://www.torvillanddean.com/video83_1.html|access-date=17 October 2011|publisher=Torvillanddean.com|archive-date=2 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100502235252/http://www.torvillanddean.com/video83_1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|The Hop, [[Kiss Me, Kate|Kiss Me Kate]], Fast Tap
|-
|1983
|Rock n Roll
|[[Barnum (musical)|Barnum]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Torvill & Dean – 1983 Part 2|url=http://www.torvillanddean.com/video83_2.html|access-date=17 October 2011|publisher=Torvillanddean.com|archive-date=31 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131153450/http://torvillanddean.com/video83_2.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|Putting on the Ritz
|-
|1984
|Paso Doble
|[[Boléro]]<ref name="Torvill & Dean – 1984 Part 2">{{cite web|title=Torvill & Dean – 1984 Part 2|url=http://www.torvillanddean.com/video84_2.html|access-date=17 October 2011|publisher=Torvillanddean.com|archive-date=2 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402093135/http://www.torvillanddean.com/video84_2.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|I Won't Send Roses<ref>{{cite web|date=4 January 2010|title=Torvill & Dean (GBR) – 1984 Sarajevo, Figure Skating, Exhibition (Encore)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSGMwwlHKfw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/wSGMwwlHKfw| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|access-date=17 October 2011|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
|-
|1994
|History of Love (version 2)<ref>{{cite web|title=Torvill & Dean – 1994 Part 1|url=http://www.torvillanddean.com/video94_1.html|access-date=17 October 2011|publisher=Torvillanddean.com|archive-date=31 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131153513/http://torvillanddean.com/video94_1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|Let's Face the Music<ref>{{cite web|title=Torvill & Dean – 1994 Part 2|url=http://www.torvillanddean.com/video94_2.html|access-date=17 October 2011|publisher=Torvillanddean.com|archive-date=31 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131153540/http://torvillanddean.com/video94_2.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|[[Boléro]]<ref name="Torvill & Dean – 1984 Part 2" />
|}

==In popular culture ==
Torvill was portrayed by [[Poppy Lee Friar]] in the 2018 biopic ''[[Torvill & Dean (film)|Torvill & Dean]]''.

==See also==
*[[Torvill and Dean]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name=olybioJT>{{cite web | url = http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/heroes/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=77081 | title = Athlete Profile – Torvill | publisher = olympic.org | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051230100836/http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/heroes/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=77081 | archive-date = 30 December 2005 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

<ref name=bbc840214>{{cite news | url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/14/newsid_4156000/4156053.stm | title = 1984: British ice couple score Olympic gold | work = BBC News | date = 14 February 1984 }}</ref>

<ref name=CH4GSM>{{cite news | url = http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest_sporting/results.html | title = 100 Greatest Sporting Moments – Results | publisher = Channel 4 }}</ref>

<ref name=reuters140214>{{cite news | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-figureskating-sarajevo-idUKBREA1C22Y20140214 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160306153220/http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-figureskating-sarajevo-idUKBREA1C22Y20140214 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 6 March 2016 | title = Torvill & Dean relive Bolero 30 years on | first = Daria | last = Sito-Sucic | work = [[Reuters]] | date = 14 February 2014 }}</ref>

}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Jayne Torvill}}
* [http://www.torvillanddean.com/ Torvill & Dean official site]
* {{Team GB}}
* {{Olympics.com}}
* {{Olympedia}}

{{NavigationOlympicChampionsFigureSkatingIcedance}}
{{NavigationWorldChampionsFigureSkatingIcedance}}
{{NavigationEuropeanChampionsFigureSkatingIcedance}}
{{NavigationBritishFigureSkatingChampionsPairs}}
{{BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torvill, Jayne}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportswomen]]
[[Category:BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners]]
[[Category:English female ice dancers]]
[[Category:English Olympic competitors]]
[[Category:European Figure Skating Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Figure skaters at the 1980 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Figure skaters at the 1984 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Figure skaters at the 1994 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1984 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1994 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Olympic figure skaters for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in figure skating]]
[[Category:People from Clifton, Nottinghamshire]]
[[Category:People from Heathfield, East Sussex]]
[[Category:Sportspeople awarded damehoods]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Nottinghamshire]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Nottingham]]
[[Category:World Figure Skating Championships medalists]]