Dancing on Ice star Libby Clegg has impressed judges and audience members alike with her skills in the rink so far, and she's clearly popular with the voting viewers at home as the Paralympian has reached the semi-finals! Ahead of Sunday night's competition, we've done a round-up of some of the facts about Libby that you may not already know, from her impressive athletic career to her royal award.
WATCH: Behind the scenes of Dancing on Ice with Libby Clegg
Libby Clegg was awarded an MBE for her services to athletics and charity In 2017, Libby was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year Honours list for services to athletics and charity. The 29-year-old has plenty of medals and awards under belt and is a brand ambassador for the charity Royal Blind, so it's no wonder that the athlete was recognised for her achievements.
Libby Clegg often speaks openly about her disability
The sprinter often speaks very frankly and open about her condition, Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy, and is an advocate for raising awareness. Libby, who is registered blind, has described her eyesight as being "like looking at a pixelated computer screen or a scrunched-up firework" when talking to The Daily Mail. She added: "I have some peripheral sight - barely any - and with what little sight I do have I was able to use to follow the lines on the track." The star athlete wasn't born blind, however, started to lose her eyesight at the age of nine.
Libby and her partner Mark in training
Libby Clegg shares son Edward with her fiancé Dan
The Paralympian shares ten-month-old son Edward with fellow athlete and fiancé Dan Powell. And although there is a chance that her son could inherit the vision impairment, the sprinter remains positive. Speaking to The Telegraph, the gold medallist spoke about the prospect of her son having the life-changing condition. "We're not really fussed," she said. "I think because we're both very independent blind people we're not worried about it. We're both successful in what we do." She continued: "If he does have a sight condition, it's not that I would expect him to become a Paralympic champion or anything, but there are options," adding: "There are a lot of things you can do that people tend to restrict you and not think you can. He could go into anything. If he can't see, we're not going to treat him any differently anyway."
Libby with her son Edward
Libby Clegg has won plenty of accolades and has 20 medals
The Scottish-born athlete has clearly had huge success in her athletic career. According to Wikipedia, Libby has been awarded 20 medals, nine of which are gold, at many competitions she has participated in all over the world. Libby's most recent win was in during the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The athlete won two gold medals, one for the 100 metre sprint, and one for the 200 metre sprint.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Paralympian has won nine gold medals
Libby Clegg's fiancé is also an athlete and has appeared on reality TV
The Paralympian and Dancing on Ice star has been engaged to fellow Paralympian Dan Powell since October 2017, 18 months before welcoming their son Edward. Dan also has partial vision, and previously competed in judo at an international level. Dan took up Para-athletics in Liverpool in 2013, and has said that he trains an impressive six days a week. Dan represented Great Britain in judo at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. He suffers from cone-rod dystrophy, a visual impairment that runs in his family and has left Dan with just three per cent vision. Like his fiancé, Dan has also competed on TV, appearing on Ninja Warrior, marking the first time a blind person had ever performed on the obstacle show.
Libby and Dan got engaged in 2017
Libby Clegg and her Dancing on Ice partner use a clever technique in training
Libby has been impressing everybody with her skills on Dancing on Ice, and it was recently revealed that she and her professional partner Mark Hanretty have a clever technique for their training. Speaking to Metro Online, fellow professional skater Dan Whiston revealed that the pair were using a coding technique to communicate the routines. Dan explained: "Luckily she has an amazing partner, and between them, they have a special language, he numbers certain positions so she will identify a position with a number." He continued: "He will just go 'two' and she will hit the position, so it's like a Morse Code between the two of them that works on ice and I think that is absolutely fascinating."
© Photo: RexLibby has been impressing judges with her skills on the ice
Athletics clearly runs in Libby Clegg's family
As well as being engaged to an athlete, Libby's family are clearly very active. Libby's younger brother James Clegg is also a Paralympic athlete and the swimmer won bronze in the men's 100m butterfly event at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. James is also visually impaired and in 2018 was inducted into the Scottish Swimming Hall of Fame.
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