Who is Dancing On Ice finalist Libby Clegg? Everything you need to know about blind double Paralympian champion
8 March 2020, 18:38 | Updated: 8 March 2020, 18:41
Libby Clegg was the first blind contestant to ever take part on Dancing On Ice, and the Paralympian has now made the final.
Libby Clegg, 29, has made it to the final of Dancing On Ice, and will now compete against Joe Swash and Perri Kiely to win the 2020 series.
Libby, who is registered as blind, has so far wowed the judges and viewers with her skating alongside professional Mark Hanretty, taking to the ice with confidence, despite her visual impairment.
As Libby enters the final of the hit ITV skating show, here's everything we know from her age, to her career and family?
Who is Libby Clegg and how old is she?
Libby Clegg is a 29-year-old Scottish-born sprinter and MBE holder.
She represented Great Britain in the 2008 Summer Paralympics, and won a silver medal in the T12 100m race.
Prior to this, in 2016, she won Gold in the Rio Paralympic Games, and broke the world record in the 100m T11, and won the T11 200m.
What condition does Libby Clegg have and is she blind?
Libby is registered blind, and suffers from a deteriorating eye condition called Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy.
She is usually accompanied by her black Labrador guide dog, Hatti.
How does Libby Clegg train?
Despite her eye condition, Libby has taken ice skating in her stride and wowed the judges and viewers.
Talking about her training, the star told RadioTimes.com: "It’s been a learning process. On the track I run with a guide runner and we’re attached all the time, but basically it’s like learning a different vocabulary to communicate.
“Myself and my partner Mark Hanretty use touch and verbal communication. I’m not as bad as I thought I was going to be, but it’s not as easy as it looks. It’s a lot harder than I thought it’d be, it’s very technical.”
Is Libby Clegg married?
Libby isn't married but has been engaged to Dan Powell since 2017. The couple welcomed their first son, Edward, in April 2019.
Dan is also a Paralympian, and competes in Judo. Like Libby, he too is partially sighted, and has just three per cent vision.
He too has taken part in reality TV, and was the first blind person to take part in Ninja Warrior.
Speaking about Edward's eyesight, Libby said that if he was to inherit his dad's condition and lose his sight, the family would be able to handle it.
She told the Telegraph: "If he does have a sight condition, it’s not that I would expect him to become a Paralympic champion or anything, but there are options.
"There are a lot of things you can do that people tend to restrict you and not think you can.
“He could go into anything. If he can’t see, we’re not going to treat him any differently anyway.”
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