Christopher Dean is renowned for his incredible skating career, and of course his starring role on Dancing on Ice. The gold medallist has rejoined his former skating partner, Jayne Torvill, on the judging panel for the 2024 series, but how much do you know about his private life?
The 65-year-old has been married twice before and is now in a long-time romance with his DOI co-star Karen Barber. He is also the proud father of two boys.
People often think Christopher and his skating partner Jayne are a couple, but despite their long partnership, the pair have never dated. Jayne has been married to her husband Phil Christensen since 1990, while Christopher has been in a relationship with DOI head coach Karen since 2011.
Between 1991 and 1993, Christopher was married to French-Canadian World ice dance champion Isabelle Duchesnay, who he met while helping her and her brother with their choreography.
© Photo: Getty ImagesFollowing the couple's divorce after two years of marriage, he met and fell in love with American skater, Jill Trenary. The pair tied the knot in October 1994, and went on to welcome two sons together, Jack Robert, 25, and Sam Colin, 23, with the family settling down in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
After over a decade of marriage, Christopher and Jill decided to go their separate ways. In March 2010, the ITV star's agent confirmed that the couple had split, although they have remained on very good terms for the sake of their children.
News of Christopher's romance with Karen came to light in January 2011, when they were photographed kissing outside a London restaurant. A few days later, Karen confirmed that her 21-year marriage to skating coach Stephen Pickavance had ended some time before; the former couple share two daughters, Emma and Laura.
READ: Jayne Torvill's family: who is her husband Phil, her children and parents?
© Photo: RexKaren and Olympic gold medallist Christopher went on to release a joint statement, explaining: "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. 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 reside in Buckinghamshire and have a blended family of six.
