It was certainly their year to shine and as 2012 entered into its last month the stars of the London Olympics stepped out to celebrate their success once more. Stealing the show in a selection of stunning gowns were the Games' leading ladies who left their sports kit at home to walk The Grosvenor House Hotel's special gold carpet.Gold medal champion Victoria Pendleton chose an elegant black strapless dress for the occasion. The self-confessed lover of fashion matched the glamorous floor-length number with a jeweled clutch bag and wore her sleek black hair swept up into a stylish bun. Speaking to HELLO! Online Victoria revealed that the dress was by British designer Suzanne Neville, whose creations have also been worn by the likes of Holly Willoughby, Tess Daly and Katherine Jenkins.
The 32-year-old has been keeping busy since her medal-winning moments. Not keen to see the back of training sessions entirely Victoria turned her hand to ballroom dancing, partnering Brendan Cole, in Strictly Come Dancing. And as well as being seen at some of the season's hottest events the Stotfold-born cyclist is also planning the wedding her dreams to finacé Scott Garnder.Hot on Victoria's heels in the style stakes was swimmer Rebecca Addlington. The 23-year-old, who hails from Nottingham, sported a purple beaded dress teamed with some open-toe nude heels, her favorite accessory. Clutching her silver medal was equestrian star Kristina Cook. The jockey's daughter was part of Zara Phillips three-day eventing team that stormed to medal success at the Greenwich Park arena in July.
Adding a splash of colour to the evening was gymnast Beth Tweddle who swapped her Team GB leotard for an orange and gold cutaway dress. The 27-year-old won an Olympic medal this summer following three unlucky appearances at previous Games. After securing her longed-for bronze trophy in the Uneven Bars event Beth said "It's the best feeling in the world... This was the one medal missing from my collection; this is the one I really wanted. I tried to keep calm and do what I do best and the crowd were amazing. To be honest I could say 'what if' but I'm not disappointed in the slightest, any medal, any colour is what I always said I wanted, so I'm extremely happy." One of London 2012's most visible athletes, Tom Daley, was also spotted looking dapper at the capital's smart venue. Dressed in a black tuxedo the 18-year-old diver joked "people are probably more likely to recognise me without my clothes on than with my clothes on" before adding that his whole experience of the Olympics had been "absolutely amazing".
The night also celebrated Olympians past. Former heptathlete Denise Lewis, who won a coveted gold medal at Sydney's Games in 2000, chose a show stopping white dress, encrusted with jewels and adorned with feathers. Olympic ice skating duo Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean lit up the gold carpet along with rowing legend Sir Steve Redgrave.With a room full of Britain's finest it was only fitting that the entertainment should be top-notch as well. Matt Cardle, 2010's X Factor winner, provided the musical accompaniment, as did this year's star Ella Henderson, whilst the evening was hosted by Irish beauty Christine Bleakley and This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield. Christine was a vision in Erdem, choosing a black a blue lace dress by the designer.
