Karen Barber
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karen Barber (born 21 June 1961) is a British ice dancer. She started ice dancing at the age of 14, and not long after that she won the UK's National Junior Championships and then placed second in the World Junior Figure Skating Championships with partner Kim Spreyer.
Barber then went on to represent her country at the Winter Olympic Games, at the World Figure Skating Championships, and the European Figure Skating Championships. She soon established herself as Britain's number one female figure skater[citation needed]}, lining her trophy cabinet with numerous medals and prizes.
Teamed with partner Nicky Slater, the pair enjoyed wide acclaim, despite competing at a time their sport was dominated by the prowess of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
Despite the intense rivalry at the time between the duos, Barber & Slater achieved fine results, being crowned British champions, finishing third in Europe and fifth in the world.
Since retiring from competition, Barber has been heavily involved in coaching and has worked closely with Torvill and Dean on their numerous tours. Most recently, she worked with the pair as a judge on the UK season of Dancing on Ice, and she joins them as a judge on Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice.
Barber is a mother of two teenage daughters and lives in England with her husband, Steve Pickavance, a fellow skating coach.