World-renowned figure skating duo!
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, best known as simply Torvill & Dean, are world-famous figure skaters and former British, World, European and Olympic champions. The duo sprang to fame at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo when their routine to Maurice Ravel's 'Bolero' not only won gold but set a new record for the highest score ever achieved for a single programme. Incredibly, they bettered their Olympic score of 12 6.0s and six 5.9s at the 1984 World Championships when they scored 13 6.0s and five 5.9s. It also launched an astounding run that saw the duo finish no lower than first place in any competition over the next 10 years, ending with a bronze at the 1994 Olympics.
Torvill and Dean retired from competitive figure skating after the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics but their fame continued, thanks to a series of artistic collaborations and regular TV appearances. The duo danced to Paul Simon songs with the English National Ballet, teamed up with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, toured with Stars On Ice and appeared in a pantomime of Cinderella at the Manchester Opera House. In 2014 and 2024, they returned to Sarajevo to mark the 30th and 40th anniversaries of their remarkable achievement at the 1984 Winter Olympics. From 2018 onwards, they were the head judges on the TV series Dancing On Ice. In 2024, they announced their retirement from performing with a final tour entitled 'Our Last Dance'.