Former Olympic ice dancer Gabriella Papadakis released her controversial memoir, Pour ne pas disparaître (So as Not to Disappear), on January 15, creating a stir in the ice dancing community.
In the book, Papadakis details some of the struggles that she has faced throughout her life and ice dancing career, including allegations that her former partner, Guillaume Cizeron, as “controlling, demanding” and “critical” during their time as partners.
Soon after the book’s release, Cizeron responded to Papadakis’ claims, calling the memoir a “smear campaign.”
“In the face of this smear campaign, I want to express my incomprehension and disagreement with the labels attributed to me,” he said. “The book contains false information, including statements I never made, which I consider serious. For more than 20 years, I have shown deep respect for Gabriella Papadakis, despite the gradual erosion of our bond, our relationship was built on equal collaboration and marked by success and mutual support.”
Papadakis, who served as an analyst on NBC’s broadcasts since her retirement from skating, was subsequently pulled from the network’s 2026 Winter Olympics coverage, as NBC claimed concerns of a “conflict of interest” based on her book.
Olympic ice dancing is set to begin on February 6, the same day as the opening ceremony in Milan, Italy.
Keep scrolling to read more about the Olympic champion:
Papadakis and Cizeron Teamed Up During Childhood
The two ice dancing champions were first partnered when they were 9 or 10 years old. They split in 2024, but not after winning an Olympic gold medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and a silver medal in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
Papadakis Broke 34 World Records With Her Former Partner
In addition to their Olympic medals, Papadakis and Cizeron broke 34 world records together — a record in and of itself. They have also won five World Championship gold medals as a pair between 2015 and 2022.
Papadakis Was Raised by a Single Mother, Who Served as Her Skating Coach
As revealed in her memoir, Papadakis was raised by a single mother, Catherine, who doubled as her skating coach. The book details their rough relationship, and the abuse that Papadakis claims to have experienced at the hands of her mother.
“My mother and I became real enemies,” Papadakis wrote. “She thought her strictness would save me from self-destruction. But I didn’t know how to explain to her that I needed my mother, tenderness, and a break… I was suffocating from her pressure.”
Papadakis Began Working as an NBC Commentator in January 2025
One month after retiring from competition in December 2024, Papadakis started working as an Ice Dance analyst for NBC Sports. She became a staple at events, even providing analysis at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which ran from January 7-11, 2026.
After the release of her memoir, NBC pulled Papadakis from their Winter Olympics coverage team, citing “conflict of interest” concerns.
Papadakis has been an advocate for the inclusion of same-sex partnerships in skating
In 2023, Papadakis came out as bisexual via her Instagram story, and has since been a vocal advocate for allowing same-sex partnerships in competitive figure skating. She has made headway in the matter with her skating partner, Madison Hubbell.
While the International Skating Union still stipulates that teams must comprise one man and one woman, various countries such as Canada and Finland have already changed their competition rules to allow for same-sex partners to compete on the national level.
