| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Country represented | United Kingdom |
| Born | June 6, 1974 |
| Partner | Andrei Lipanov |
Susie Lipanova (née Susan Humble)[1] on 6 June 1974, is a British ice skater from South Shields, South Tyneside, England.[2]
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Lipanova spent her early years skating at ice rinks in Sunderland and Whitley Bay.[3] She competed in the British Junior Championships in 1990 and came 2nd. Two years later, she competed in the senior version, and finished fifth.
From 1992 to 1998, Lipanova was a member of the British Olympic Squad. As a professional show skater she has toured Europe. Her UK shows include Hot Ice at Blackpool Pleasure Beach Arena, of which the Lancashire Evening Telegraph in 2002 commented: " ... with a few exciting additions including the haunting Montmartre led by the stunning Susie Lipanova."
Lipanova joined the professional ice skaters in the UK version of Dancing on Ice from series three onwards,[4] having been a reserve professional in the second series although she has performed in each tour.[5] In the third series, she partnered Javelin thrower and Olympic gold medallist Steve Backley[6] and the couple were the sixth to be eliminated[7] after a skate-off against former Coronation Street actress Zaraah Abrahams and partner Fred Palascak, who would eventually become the Skate-off Queen.[8] He had survived three consecutive skate-offs and was known as the Skate-off King. Backley stated that Lipanova's husband, Andrei, helped him during practice, by showing him how best to lift Lipanova.[9]
In the 2009 UK series, Lipanova partnered former EastEnders actor, Todd Carty.[10][11] Carty's performance and ability was consistently criticised by the judging panel, and in the weeks he and Lipanova competed, they placed bottom of all the contestants. Despite this, judge Jason Gardiner has claimed that he likes Carty, and understands why the public kept voting for him and Lipanova to stay.[12] In week three (during which actor Jeremy Edwards and partner Darya Nucci were eliminated after a skate off with former rugby player Ellery Hanley and partner Frankie Poultney),[13] Carty lost control of his ice skates so badly that he stumbled into the off stage area and briefly disappeared from view, leaving Lipanova to perform the last part of the routine alone.[14] The couple, skating to Help by The Beatles, scored only 9.5 from a possible 30, a two point improvement from their opening week score of 7.5.[15] In week four, when Michael Underwood and partner Melanie Lambert left, Lipanova and Carty performed a routine to Every Breath You Take by The Police, and again placed last on the leaderboard with a score of 7.5, but were saved from the skate-off by the public vote.[16] In week five, the couple performed a routine that Carty described as 'romantic'. Their chosen music was the Nat King Cole version of Smile. Carty claimed that Lipanova would still not allow him to lift her during their routine.[17] The couple scored 8.5 for their performance, but were eliminated from the competition after a skate-off with Ellery Hanley and Frankie Poultney, who were in turn eliminated one week later following a skate-off with Melinda Messenger and Fred Palascak.[18]
In the 2010 series, Lipanova partnered actor Jeremy Sheffield, however the pair were eliminated at the end of the 3rd round.
In 1998, Lipanova married fellow professional ice skater, Andrei Lipanov,[19][20] and the couple have one child, a son named Sasha.[21] Lipanov also competed in the 2009 series of Dancing on Ice, until his second week elimination with partner Gemma Bissix.[22]
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