Jayne Torvill: her relationship with Christopher Dean, adopted children and Dancing on Ice

Jayne Torvill, OBE is best known for being an Olympic ice skating champion as well as being part of ITV’s Dancing on Ice. But what else do you know about her? Here, we take a little look at the skating star, including her relationship Christopher Dean and how many children she has.

How old is Jayne Torvill?

Jayne was born on 7 October 1957, making her 67 years old.

She grew up in Nottingham and worked as an insurance clerk, before becoming an ice skater.

Who is Jayne Torvill married to?

Although many people assume Jayne is in a relationship with her skating partner Christopher Dean, Jayne is actually married to American sound engineer Phil Christensen. Together they have two adopted children Kieran and Jessica.

Christopher Dean and Jayne never dated. He’s currently in a long term relationship with British ice dancer Karen Barber.

Who are Jayne Torvill’s children?

Jayne explained during an episode of Piers Morgan’s Life Stories back in 2013 that she and Phil had struggled to conceive children naturally. They didn’t start trying for a baby until Jayne was in her forties.

“I got pregnant quite quickly and I thought, ‘Oh this is fine’. And when I went to have a scan they said I had an ectopic pregnancy, and I didn’t know what that meant.”

“They said, ‘The embryo’s growing in one of the tubes’. And I said, ‘Oh, ok, so how do you get it out then?’. And they said, ‘We don’t. We can’t’. That’s when it hit me.”

Jayne and Phil went on to try IVF for a year before deciding to adopt instead.

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean

Jayne first teamed up with Christopher Dean in 1975. When they placed 5th in the 1980 Winter Olympics in New York, Jayne gave up her job as an insurance clerk so she and Christopher could skate together full-time.

They are well known performing to the music of Maurice Ravel’s Boléro at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, a performance that became world-famous. Jayne and Christopher received twelve perfect 6.0 marks.

It is believed to be one of the most popular achievements in the history of British sport and was watched by a British television audience of 24 million people.

Dancing on Ice

Jayne and Christopher began starring in ITV show Dancing on Ice in January 2006. The show follows celebrities and their professional partners figure skating in front of a panel of judges. The show ran until 2014 before returning to TV screens in 2018.

The show is back again for 2025, presented by Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby. Chris and Jayne are also back as head judges, with Ashley Banjo and Oti Mabuse.

Is Jayne Torvill on social media?

Although Jayne is quite private about her personal life, you can follow her on Instagram here.