Inside Christopher Dean’s family life with two sons and long-term romance with Dancing On Ice coach

Christopher Dean has been a regular on our screens as a judge on ITV’s Dancing on Ice since 2006 – but away from the cameras, the skating legend has a very different life

Christopher Dean attends the “Dancing On Ice” photocall at Bovingdon Film Studios on January 10, 2024 in London, England. (Image: 2024 Jeff Spicer)

Christopher Dean, famed for winning the gold medal with Jayne Torvill at the 1984 Winter Olympics, is more recently recognised as a judge on ITV’s Dancing on Ice.

Despite what some people initially think, he is not married nor romantically linked to his former ice-skating partner and fellow judge, Jayne Torvill.

Jayne has been married to Paul Christensen since 1990, and Christopher has been committed to long-term partner Karen since 2011.

Here’s all you need to know about Christopher’s life away from the limelight.

Did Christopher Dean ever date Jayne Torvill?

While many assume Torvill and Dean are an item away from the rink, this isn’t the case. They did, however, share an adolescent kiss.

“We were in the back of the bus going to a league match, and it just happened. It was a one-off. We never talked about it afterwards. We laugh about it now,” Jayne revealed to Radio Times. Christopher added: “We were 14-years-old, and teenagers in the most naive sense. We didn’t talk about it much after.”

Christopher Dean’s marriages

Christopher has been married twice. His first marriage was to Canadian ice dance champion Isabelle Duchesnay between 1991 and 1993.

Post-divorce, he started a relationship with American figure skater Jill Trenary, and they got married in 1994. The couple are proud parents to two sons – 26 year old Jack and 24 year old Sam.

Sadly, after over a decade of marriage, Christopher and Jill’s relationship came to an end. In March 2010, the Dancing On Ice judge’s agent confirmed their separation but reassured that they remain on good terms for their children.

Long-term romance with Dancing On Ice coach

Christopher has been romantically involved with Dancing On Ice coach Karen Barber since 2011. They found love after both their marriages ended.

Karen Barber and Christopher Dean attend the National Television Awards 2020 at The O2 Arena (Image: Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Christopher had separated from his wife Jill, while Karen’s 21-year marriage to skating coach Stephen Pickavance, father to her daughters Emma and Laura, had also ended. The couple released a joint statement about their relationship at the time, saying: “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.”

They added: “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 live in Buckinghamshire.