Christopher Dean is best known as one half of iconic ice dancing duo Torvill and Dean, but off screen fans are surprised to learn of the Dancing on Ice judge’s romantic history
Dancing on Ice judge Christopher Dean is renowned for his on-ice partnership with Jayne Torvill, leading many fans to believe they’re a couple off the ice too. The pair captured the nation’s hearts when they won gold at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics and have since become familiar faces as expert judges on ITV’s Dancing on Ice.
However, away from the rink, Christopher isn’t married to his iconic skating partner. While Jayne has been happily married to Paul Christensen since 1990, Christopher’s heart is taken by his love Karen, who he’s been with since 2011. A closer look into Christopher’s romantic life reveals that it’s all professional between him and Jayne Torvill – except for one teenage smooch!
They’ve never been a couple off the ice, but they did share a kiss once when they were just 14. “We were in the back of the bus going to a league match, and it just happened. It was a one-off. We never talked about it afterwards. We laugh about it now,” Jayne playfully shared with Radio Times. Christopher added: “We were 14-years-old, and teenagers in the most naive sense. We didn’t talk about it much after,” reports the Mirror.
Christopher Dean has been married twice. Initially, he exchanged vows with Canadian ice dance icon Isabelle Duchesnay in 1991, a union that flourished until 1993. Not long after, he was smitten by American figure skating sweetheart Jill Trenary, and they became husband and wife in 1994, later welcoming two sons, Jack, now 26, and Sam, 24.
However, after more than a decade together, the pair decided to go their separate ways in March 2010, as confirmed by Christopher’s agent, though they sustain a friendly rapport for the sake of their children. Cupid wasn’t finished yet, for Christopher soon found his heartstrings tugged anew by none other than Dancing On Ice coach Karen Barber.
With both having stepped away from lengthy marriages — Christopher from Jill, and Karen from her previous partner Stephen Pickavance — the pair discovered solace and affection within each other.
Their burgeoning romance was acknowledged publicly with a nod to their longstanding friendship exceeding 30 years and an admission of a shift in dynamics during the year: “We have been great friends for more than 30 years. Following recent media speculation, we feel the necessity to confirm that this year has seen a change in our relationship, but we are taking things very slowly, as it is early days.”
To complement this heartfelt reveal, they expressed gratitude towards the unwavering support of their close-knit circle: “We’d very much like to thank our dear friends, who have been so incredibly supportive to us. We both have families with children, so we ask the media to please respect their privacy.” The couple now live together in Buckinghamshire.
Christopher, alongside Jayne, is currently on the judging panel for the new series of Dancing on Ice. The star-studded line-up includes fan favourite Michaela Strachan, EastEnders’ Charlie Brooks, Olympic rower Sir Steve Redgrave, TOWIE’s Dan Edgar, and reality TV sensation Ferne McCann.