'We were bonded by our ambition'
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson are the greatest British ice dancers since Torvill and Dean. Can they emulate them and win Olympic gold?
Sam Mellish
- Kate Battersby
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By winning bronze at the World Championships in Boston last year, Lilah Fear, 26, and Lewis Gibson, 31, became Great Britain’s first world ice dance medallists since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean took gold at the Winter Games in Sarajevo in 1984. They have been skating partners since 2016, been British champions a record eight times and have won medals at every European Championship since 2023, including a bronze just a few weeks ago in Sheffield. At the last Winter Olympics in Japan, they finished in 10th place.
Ice dance comprises two segments — the rhythm (short) and the free (long) programme. What are you planning for your routines at the Winter Olympics?
Lilah Fear We want to show how honoured we are to represent Great Britain, so in the short programme our music is the Spice Girls and I’m literally wearing the flag with my Geri-style dress.
Lewis Gibson Then my Scottish background is reflected in the free dance. The music includes The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond, the Proclaimers and Auld Lang Syne, and we wear Royal Stewart tartan. My own tartan is Buchanan but Royal Stewart is the most renowned tartan and it looks great on the ice.
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson celebrate their bronze medal at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final last December Getty
Lilah, you’re the daughter of a skater and began skating at four years old — but Lewis, is it true that you started at 11, after you watched the first series of Dancing on Ice?
Lewis Yes, I was playing football at the time [Lewis’s dad coached], but it wasn’t working for me. I saw the celebrities having so much fun learning the sport on Dancing on Ice, so I gave skating a go and fell in love with it.
Yet you skated solo for years. You switched to ice dance at 22, when Lilah became your first partner. What makes a good pairing?
Lewis We have a video of our first practice together where we just look so terrible. I can’t believe our coaches supported us through that.
Lilah We were bonded by our ambition. We were willing to work hard and we have huge mutual respect, especially for our different opinions about how to make an idea work. We don’t let anything linger between us. Lewis supports me if I’m stressed, and I can lift him up if he’s tired. We step up for each other.
How much sacrifice does it take for someone to reach your level?
Lilah I’ve missed a lot of birthday parties for years. Wake-up calls at 5am will do that.
Lewis I think of how we moved away from everything we knew to train in Montreal [at the Ice Academy]. I was 22 and Lilah was still at school. Sometimes I can’t believe we did that.
Lilah Maybe that’s why we’re so close, because we didn’t know anyone. It was daunting, and we were really bad at the start. So it was tough, but we had each other.
Lewis supports me if I’m stressed, and I can lift him up if he’s tired
Lilah Fear
What does a typical training day look like?
Lewis We start at either 7.30am or 9.15am, with up to four hours of ice time, five days a week. Off the ice, we do cardio, strengthening and conditioning work that’s very specific to our sport, then there are dance classes and stretches. We also work off the ice one day at the weekends as well. Bedtime is usually at 9pm.
Lilah We also have a sports psychologist. Mindset is so important – being your own greatest supporter, knowing how to deal with nerves and doubting yourself. Diet is important, too. We’re very healthy during the week, replenishing with protein and all that science stuff. But at weekends we like some balance – cookies for Lewis, and I’m a big ice cream girl.
What do you love about skating?
Lilah That we get to express who we are. I’ve always loved performing. When I was younger, I’d make my parents watch shows that I created. My younger self would be speechless to see me doing that now on a world stage.
Lewis I’m drawn to the commitment under pressure. I want to make myself proud in four minutes. That’s electrifying and it’s fantastic to feel the joy come back from the audience.
You’ve always had support from Torvill and Dean. What’s that like?
Lilah We worked with them in our first year together, which was such a “pinch me” moment. They always keep track of our progress, sending us messages of encouragement, and believe in us so much. We’re grateful for their support.
But no one has been more supportive than your respective parents?
Lewis Yet they never made it feel like it was a burden. They just showed up for us, long before we knew if it was going to become something.
Lilah Toxic parents are definitely prevalent in sport, but it’s never been, “You’d better do well, after all I’ve invested in you these years”. They’re just proud of what we’ve built together.
Lewis, you came out publicly in 2020, and you’re now married to fitness trainer Joshua Walsh. You’ve cited Tom Daley as a trailblazer for gay athletes.
Lewis In any sport that has judges marking you – such as diving and ice dancing – it’s difficult to come out, because you wonder if you’ll be perceived differently from before. In ice dance a male and female often portray a romantic relationship on the ice. You never know who’s judging you. I’ve never met Tom, but it’s fantastic to see the respect he’s gained, out and proud, which made it more comfortable for me.
How do you relax and what will you be doing at the Winter Olympics when you’re not competing?
Lilah I love going to coffee shops, walking, seeing my friends, and I have an occasional podcast about reaching your goals. After our event finishes at the Olympics, I’m excited to see hockey, speed skating is always exciting, and I’d love to see Big Air [freestyle skiing and snowboarding].
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Lewis I like doing creative little art projects. It gets me off my phone and is so calming. At the Games, I really want to see the curling. I’m also so glad it’s not our first Games. I feel so much more appreciative of what it means this time around.
Authors
Kate Battersby
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