Famous ice dancing couples: A list of famous ice dancing pairs who are actually couples

Other than the sporting value of ice dancing, fans undeniably fall in love at the sight of the beautiful agility and flawless fluid movement of dancing couples on the rink. This article contains the complete list of famous ice-dancing couples who have dominated the sport and stolen the hearts of fans.

The sport draws millions of fans from all around the world. Similarly, ice skating shows such as Dancing On Ice and Fairytales on Ice that combine ice dancing with fairy tale and romance themes enjoy widespread popularity and large viewerships.

Historians trace the sport's origins to the Vienna Skating Club, the influence of ballroom dancing and the waltz in the late 1800s. Since its early start, famous ice dancers such as Jackson Haines, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean revolutionized dance on ice.

The most iconic famous ice-dancing couples

During competitive events, famous ice-dancing pairs present intricately choreographed ballroom dancing on the ice with technical footwork without the typical jumps that characterize figure skating. Here is a list of the most decorated and celebrated ice dancers of all time.

15. Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo

Chinese trailblazers Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo began skating in 1992 against traditional Soviet winners. Since then, the famous real-life ice skating couple have won numerous awards for their country, including China's first Olympic gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

14. Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko

In 1984, the married ice-dancing couple triumphed, finishing third as the bronze medalists at the Winter Games. Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin won their gold at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1985, with Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko taking the silver.

13. Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz

Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz's Olympic journey began in 1992 when the two were crowned Canadian Junior champions. Although the three-time Olympians never won a medal at the Olympics, the two made history after becoming the first North American ice dancing team to win the World Championship title at the 2003 ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Unlike most dancing partners, the two did not date or get married to each other. Victor Kraatz's wife is Finnish ice dancer Maikki Uotila, while Bourne married and divorced her skating coach, Nikolai Morozov, before finding love with screenwriter Bohdan Turok.

12. Judy Schwomeyer and James Sladky

During their career, Judy Schwomeyer and her then-husband James Sladky dominated the United States championship, winning five consecutive gold titles. Despite other the additional two bronze and one silver medal in the World Championships, the two could not attend the 1972 Sapporo Games since the Olympic Committee did not recognize ice dancing as a sport.

11. Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat

The Péchalat and Bourzat French ice-dancing pair began competing together in 2000 until their retirement in 2014. Apart from the numerous medals at the ISU Championships, the two won over 23 gold, 14 bronze and 17 silver medals in major competitions. Despite sharing a long career, the dancing partners got married to different people.

10. Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim

Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim are undoubtedly one of the best pair figure skaters of all time. Unknown to many, the American figure skaters are a couple who married in 2015 following a matchmaking ploy by Brandon Frazier. Following Chris' retirement, Alexa Knierim changed partners pairing up with the couple's old friend, Brandon Frazier.

9. Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte

Although Anna Cappellini ice danced with Luca Lanotte, they kept their relationship professional. However, the two got into a two-year relationship before breaking up to focus more on skating. Currently, Cappellini is married to ice skater Ondrej Hotarek while Lanotteis engaged to former ice dancer Eve Bentley.

The Italian ice-dancing couple Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte proved their athletic longevity after remaining active past the average retirement age. The 2014 World Champion title holders won about 17 gold, 21 silver and eight bronze medals in major competitions between 2005 and 2018.

8. Ilya Averbukh and Irina Lobacheva

Before partnering with his girlfriend, Ilya Averbukh danced with Olympic champion Marina Anissina. In a Washington Post rightly titled, Saving the Last Dance For Your True Love, Ilya admitted that he made the right choice, although he no longer won as many titles as he did with Marina. The couple got married in 1995.

7. Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat

Before teaming up with Gwendal, Marina danced with Ilya Averbukh, with whom she won two junior World Championship medals. Although her former partner left to dance with his then-girlfriend, Irina Lobacheva, Marina and Gwendal's chemistry on the rink did not indicate any relationship. In 2008, Anissina got married to Russian film star Nikita Djigurda.

At the height of their success, Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat won gold during the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. However, the couple's victory at Salt Lake soon became the subject of one of the most controversial Olympic Games after a Russian mafia boss was arrested and charged with an attempt to influence judges' votes in one of the biggest fixing scandals in Olympic history.

6. Meryl Davis and Charlie White

Although speculations ran wild, Meryl Davis and Charlie White set the record straight, denying any allegations of a romantic relationship between them. However, Meryl added that their unique natural rhythm allowed them to have the iconic Meryl Davis and Charlie White free dance at the 2010 Olympics and the 2014 Games.

5. Alex Shibutani and Maia Shibutani

The famous ice-dancing pair Maia and Alex Shibutani are not married, rather, they are related by blood.

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The Shibutani siblings hold three World titles, two Olympic bronze medals, two U.S. National Championship titles and four Continents titles. Unfortunately, Maia and Alex Shibutani announced their retirement after a cancerous tumour was found in Maia's kidney in 2019.

4. Madison Chock and Evan Bates

Real-life couple Madison Chock and Evan Bates took a chance at love after announcing their engagement in July 2022 following a five-year-long courtship period. The pair have made three Olympic appearances earning their first silver for Team USA at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

3. Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron

Regarded as the best ice dancing pairs of all time, Papadakis and Cizeron took a year off active competition in June 2022. Despite their absence from the sport, the three-time World Champions, four-time Continental title holders, and Olympic gold and silver medalists still have a chance of world domination upon returning to the 2026 Milano Winter Olympics.

While the couple's chemistry may convince many of their romantic connection, Guillaume Cizeron publicly came out as gay, while Papadakis keeps her relationships away from the public eye.

2. Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean

Legendary ice dancing champions Torvill and Dean became famous for their role in shaping modern ice dancing with their flawless Bolero routine. The couple who earned a perfect six for the performance has continued to influence the sport by creating the British Ice Skating Academy of Dance and coaching several figure skaters.

Although the dancers never had a romantic relationship, their closeness caused friction between their respective spouses leading to Christopher Dean's divorce from his first wife.

1. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

Canadian ice skating couple Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir became especially famous when they won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games in front of a 60,000 home crowd and about 7.5 million television viewers. Despite suffering from lower limb injuries that would make a short walk a struggle, Tessa became one of the most decorated female ice skaters alongside her partner Moir.

Contrary to popular belief, the famous Canadian ice-dancing couple is not romantically linked. However, Tessa Virtue and hockey star for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Morgan Rielly, are engaged after years of dating.

Ice skating couples in real life

After sharing a kiss during the Sochi 2014 and 2018 Pyeongchang games, ice skating couple Tessa and Scott Moir fueled rumours of a relationship. However, the two have continually denied any involvement with each other. Here is a list of more Olympic ice dancers currently dating or married.

Hundreds of famous ice-dancing couples have risen to continental and global stardom. However, despite the romantic appearances expressed on the rink during an ice dance, many athletes are not real couples.

Sportsbrief published an article ranking the best ice skaters who have revolutionised the sport. The report covers figure skaters such as British skater Madge Syers, who became the first woman to skate competitively. Check out the link above to discover more about the century-old sport and skaters who distinguished themselves in the field.

Ice dancing couple	Nationality	Relationship status
Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim	American	Married
Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov	Russian	Married
Madison Chock and Evan Bates	American	Engaged
Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo	Chinese	Married
Penny Coomes and Nick Buckland	English	Dating
Misato Komatsubara and Tim Koleto	American - Japanese	Married
Miriam Ziegler and Severin Kiefer	Austrian	Dating