The figure staking competition is arguable one of the most popular events in Winter Olympics – thanks to the breath-taking choreography, incredible skill and sensational ensembles.
But who are the glamorous hopefuls heading to Milan Cortina for Team GB? The athletes include World Champion bronze medallists Lilah Fear, 26, and Lewis Gibson, 32, who have been dubbed the next Torvill and Dean.
Not since the famous Bolero has Britain stood a better chance of seeing two skaters return to the Olympic podium.
Joining them will be Anastasia Vaipan-Law. Born in Blackpool, Anastasia’s commitment to the sport has always been rife as she moved north of the border to Dundee aged just 13 by herself to develop her skating skills further.
The 26-year-old figure skater has been in a relationship with Dundee United football star Ross Graham for four years.
Another athlete heading for the Olympics is Kristen Spours, 25, who was forced to take a break from competing in September, due to the challenges she endured following a spinal surgery.
Read on to discover all the glamorous – and handsome – ice queens, and kings, that are taking part in the games…
Olympic debutante Anastasia Vaipan-Law (pictured) is hopeful she could bring home a win for Britain this winter with her partner, Luke Digby
The 26-year-old figure skater has been in a relationship with Dundee United football star Ross Graham for four years and often takes to Instagram to share adorable snaps of the loved-up pair
Anastasia Vaipan-Law
Olympic debutante Anastasia Vaipan-Law is hopeful she could bring home a win for Britain this winter with her partner, Luke Digby.
Born in Blackpool, Anastasia’s commitment to the sport has always been rife – having moved north of the border to Dundee aged just 13 by herself to develop her skating skills further.
The 26-year-old figure skater has been in a relationship with Dundee United football star Ross Graham for four years and often takes to Instagram to share adorable snaps of the loved-up pair.
When Anastasia and Luke, 35, earned their Team GB slot by winning their fifth consecutive British Pairs title in December, Ross took to Instagram to declare just how ‘proud’ he was of the pair for their historic sporting victory.
Speaking to The Scottish Sun about their adorable relationship, Anastasia fondly shared: ‘I’ve learned a lot from him and the way he responds to things. He’s actually grown me as an athlete massively.’
Last year, Anastasia and Luke achieved Britain’s best result at a European Championships for 35 years by finishing in fifth place, however, things haven’t always been smooth sailing for the esteemed skater.
In 2018, a knee injury meant she was forced to switch from being a single skater to competing in pairs. Yet in a twist of fate, it led her to Luke – with the pair’s sights now firmly set on making history at this year’s games.
Phebe Bekker
At just 20 years old, Phebe Bekker is taking the figure skating world by storm. She is already a three-time British Figure Skating Championships silver medallist and has twice won gold at the same event in the junior category
Amassing more than 14k followers on Instagram and 28k on TikTok, Phebe frequently takes to social media to share the behind the scenes of life on the ice, alongside snaps from her jet-setting adventures
At just 20 years old, Phebe Bekker is taking the figure skating world by storm.
Originally from Ashstead, Surrey, the glamorous ice dancer is already a three-time British Figure Skating Championships silver medallist and has twice won gold at the same event in the junior category.
Phebe first learnt how to skate at the age of eight after she attended some public skating sessions with a close friend and in 2021 was partnered with James Hernandez to represent Team GB.
Amassing more than 14k followers on Instagram and 28k on TikTok, Phebe frequently takes to social media to share the behind the scenes of life on the ice, alongside snaps from her jet-setting life.
The blonde ice queen is set to make her Olympic debut at this year’s winter games in Milan and recently took to TikTok to share what life is really like in the Olympic Village for this year’s esteemed athletes.
In a video captioned ‘Cardboard beds in the Olympic village?! The question everyone wants to know,’ Phebe took viewers on a tour around her room to dispel the long-standing myth about ‘anti-sex’ beds for athletes.
Recording herself knocking on the frame, which produced a hollow sound, Phebe confirmed that contrary to speculation that the beds were made of strong cardboard, she did, in fact, have a mattress.
Phebe and James are looking to win Great Britain’s first medal in figure skating since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean took home Bronze in ice dance at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.
Kristen Spours
Kristen Spours’ (pictured) road to the ice at this year’s Olympic Games has been far from smooth, with the 25-year-old figure skater forced to take a break from competing in September, due to the challenges she endured following a spinal surgery
The esteemed British figure skater (pictured), from Kingston, took four months away from the sport and was almost certain her career on the ice was ‘over’ for good
Kristen Spours’ road to the ice at this year’s Olympic Games has been far from smooth, with the 25-year-old figure skater forced to take a break from competing in September, due to the challenges she endured following a spinal surgery.
The esteemed British figure skater, from Kingston, took four months away from the sport and was almost certain her career on the ice was ‘over’ for good.
But in a true sign of her resilience, Kristen retained her British title in November and went on to earn a spot in Team GB’s squad after finishing in 22nd place at the 2025 World Championships in Boston.
She has since spoken openly about how her injury was extremely challenging for both her mental and physical health, telling BBC Sport: ‘I have really struggled with my mental health, especially getting back on the ice’.
‘It is frustrating because with my injury I’m not able to do everything I would like to do. But I was really happy with how I conducted myself. Getting back has really proved to myself that I can still cope in a high-pressure environment.’
In March, Kristen is set to hang up her skates for the final time as she will retire from the sport following the World Championships in March.
At the European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield earlier this month, she expressed her gratitude that her beloved father was able to watch her skate one final time.
Due to health issues, he will be unable to watch his daughter compete at the Olympics in Milan, but her mother is set to be in the crowd cheering her on.
Lilah Fear
Lilah Fear (pictured), 26, a tri British-Canadian-American citizen, was born in Greenwich in Connecticutto Canadian parents before being raised in London, from the age of one
The athlete, who is a tri British-Canadian-American citizen, began skating when she was five years old
Lilah Fear, 26, a tri British-Canadian-American citizen, was born in Greenwich in Connecticut to Canadian parents before being raised in London, from the age of one.
She has a degree in psychology and communications at McGill University in Montreal but ultimately decided to pursue a career in figure skating after.
Multilingual Lilah, who has lived in three countries, began learning to skate when she was just five years old at Queens Ice Rink, near her primary school in Notting Hill, before entering competitions as a teenager.
She teamed up with Lewis Gibson in 2016, with the fan-favourite duo dubbed the next Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
At the 2025 World Championships, the pair ended a 40-year medal drought for British figure skating, with ice dance bronze in Boston. Their successful score marked the first global medal for Great Britain since Torvill and Dean in 1984.
Now, Lilah and Lewis return for their second Olympics with momentum firmly on their side.
After finishing 10th in Beijing, the ice dance duo have taken a major step forward over the past year, picking up World Championship bronze, another Grand Prix bronze and their fourth consecutive European Championship medal in 2026.
Lewis Gibson
Lewis Gibson (pictured) 32, from Prestwick, quickly rose through the ranks after first taking to the ice at Ayr Skate Rink
Gibson, who is married to husband Joshua Walsh (both pictured), and Lilah Fear have also won Skate America and Grand Prix titles and landed a third career European medal in Estonia
Fear and Gibson (both pictured) made a major breakthrough in 2025 after winning a bronze medal at the World Championships in Boston in March, the first British ice dancers to do so since Torvill and Dean in 1984
Lewis Gibson enjoyed playing football as a child but soon set his sights on ice skating after watching the first series of Dancing On Ice as an 11-year-old.
And despite a relatively late introduction to the sport, the Scottish skater, 32, from Prestwick, quickly rose through the ranks after first taking to the ice at Ayr Skate Rink.
Fear and Gibson made a major breakthrough in 2025 after winning a bronze medal at the World Championships in Boston in March, the first British ice dancers to do so since Torvill and Dean in 1984.
Not since the famous Bolero has Britain stood a better chance of seeing two skaters return to the Olympic podium.
‘They could be in line for a medal, we don’t know what colour, we hope for the best,’ Sir Christopher Dean said.
‘To think that they’ve come from watching Dancing On Ice, it is a sort of a legacy that’s passed down. The mantle, the flame, is handed over to them now. We’re ready to pass the mantle on. It’s their turn.’
Gibson, who is married to husband Joshua Walsh, and Fear have also won Skate America and Grand Prix titles and landed a third career European medal in Estonia.
After securing their bronze World Championships medal, Gibson said: ‘The crowd here was amazing, and insane. I think we got to the moment we really worked for, they were so loud and supportive, we are thankful to the audience.’
James Hernandez
At just 24 years old, James (pictured) has a long history of success on the ice, having twice competed at the World Championships at senior level while also taking home three British Figure Skating Championships silver medals
London-born James Hernandez first took up skating at the age of four and has given his sister full credit for introducing him to the unique sport.
At just 24 years old, James has a long history of success on the ice, having twice competed at the World Championships at senior level while also taking home three British Figure Skating Championships silver medals.
After being previously partnered with renowned skater Emily Rose Brown until 2020, James and Phebe’s partnership has gone from strength to strength since 2021.
The duo, who relocated to Philadelphia to undergo their intensive training, are set to embrace the world of Shakespeare when they compete this Olympic season.
Their free dance is against a melody of Romeo and Juliet music, while the pair’s rhythm dance is to George Michael.
Yet despite it being James’s first rodeo on the Olympic stage, the young sportsman is confident in his and Phebe’s abilities to soar to success at this year’s winter games and is looking to his fellow Team GB skaters for inspiration.
‘We’ve grown so much from the beginning of our partnership. It’s come on leaps and bounds,’ he told National World.
‘Our goal is obviously to emulate what Jayne and Chris did and seeing Lilah and Lewis do what they’ve done is amazing. It gives us further motivation and motivation that is fresh and not before we are born.’
Luke Digby
Luke Digby, 24, from Sheffield, first became captivated by skating aged six as his older sister was an avid watcher of the television show Dancing on Ice, which was ‘rested’ in 2025 following 17 series.
Like his partner Anastasia, Luke also began his skating career as a single skater and first performed at the 2017 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival.
He teamed up with his partner in December 2019, and the pair’s strong sense of collaboration has seen them soar to success – finishing in 12th place at the 2025 World Championships.
But the sportsman is also no stranger to the trials and tribulations of competitive sport, having overcome two knee injuries and also relocating to Dundee to train – leaving his friends, family and beloved fiancée at home.
And in a rather ironic turn of events, last summer, Luke’s brother Paul Digby joined Ross Graham’s rival team – Dundee FC, on a two-year contract from Mansfield Town.
Now, Luke and Anastasia are taking to the ice to compete for Team GB as part of both the pairs and team event.
Remarkably, the duo will be the first pairs skaters for Great Britain since two-time Olympians and married couple David King and Stacey Kemp competed in both events at the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia.
Edward Appleby
After defending his British title in November with an ankle injury, Edward Appleby, 21, is set to soar at this year’s games.
A three-time national champion, Edward finished 18th overall at an ISU Olympic qualifier in September and also took home ninth place at the 2024 World Junior Championships.
At the 2026 European Championships, the talented skater represented Britain and finished in 24th place.
While the young athlete may not have qualified for a men’s singles individual spot at this year’s Olympics, he is competing as part of the team event in which the top 10 national federations will compete against one another.
In an interview with The Reading Chronicle, Edward admitted that as ‘the only person that hasn’t qualified as an individual, there has definitely been a kind of imposter syndrome’.
He added: ‘I keep telling myself that I don’t really know why I’m here. I can’t quite believe it and I think even in the new year I won’t be able to. But hopefully it will kick in so I can enjoy the event.’
Indicative of his strong love for the sport, the 21-year-old travels daily from his home in Colchester for training in Swindon, and is looking to head to university in September.
And Edward’s talents also extend far beyond the ice as he can remarkably complete a Rubik’s cube in just 16 seconds.
‘It helps calm me down a bit at competitions and so I usually bring one with my while I’m warming up,’ he previously explained.
