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| ==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
| Suzanne Dando was born in Balham, London and spent her early years in Merstham Surrey. |
Suzanne Dando was born in Balham, London and spent her early years in Merstham, Surrey. Her parents later moved to ], Sussex where she spent her childhood. She studied at Uckfield Comprehensive and Catford Girls School. | ||
| ==British and Olympic gymnast== | ==British and Olympic gymnast== | ||
| {{sources|section|date=December 2024}} | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| Her gymnastics talent was first recognised at age eleven by a school ] teacher. She passed all the BAGA awards and climbed onto the uneven bars for the first time when she was 12. In 1975 she left her family home in Sussex and moved to London to further her gymnastics career. She first represented her country at international level in 1976 aged 15 when she competed for Britain against West Germany. | |||
| ⚫ | In 1977, after winning many National titles, she was awarded a ] Scholarship ] allowing her to spend time training in the US in 1978. She returned to the US in early 1979, returning home in time to compete in the British Championships. However, she sustained an injury and could not compete, which ruled her out of the squad for the 1979 European Championships. On recovery, she went on to represent her country in the 1979 World Championships, Fort Worth, Dallas USA, gaining her F.I.G. Gold Pin. | ||
| ⚫ | In 1980, Dando won the 'Champion of Champions' title at the ]. In May she became the |
||
| ⚫ | In 1980, Dando won the 'Champion of Champions' title at the ]. In May she became the overall British National Champion. She led her teammates, Susan Cheesborough and Denise Jones, to the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.{{cn|date=December 2024}} | ||
| ===Retirement=== | ===Retirement=== | ||
| Dando retired after the Olympics, explaining that the direction the sport was taking concerned her, as the serious injuries, like ]'s, were increasing. Dando later revealed to the UK press that she had suffered ] whilst a gymnast. At one point, her parents and coaches reduced her training until she regained her strength and started eating properly.{{cn|date=December 2024}} | |||
| ==After gymnastics== | ==After gymnastics== | ||
| Following her retirement, Dando coached the under fives in gymnastics at the Lewisham Leisure Centre in South London. She wrote a book, ''"Fun Ways to Looking Good"'', and produced and presented her own fitness video, ''"Flexercise"''. In the early 1980s, she made several appearances for the ], citing ] as her inspiration. | Following her retirement, Dando coached the under fives in gymnastics at the Lewisham Leisure Centre in South London. She wrote a book, ''"Fun Ways to Looking Good"'', and produced and presented her own fitness video, ''"Flexercise"''. In the early 1980s, she made several appearances for the ], citing ] as her inspiration.{{cn|date=December 2024}} | ||
| In 1982 she competed in and became the ] Superstars Champion. | |||
| In 1983, Dando was the gymnastics supervisor for the ], '']''. The following year her fitness album, ''Shape Up and Dance with Suzanne Dando'', peaked at No. 87 in the ].<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book | In 1983, Dando was the gymnastics supervisor for the ], '']''. The following year her fitness album, ''Shape Up and Dance with Suzanne Dando'', peaked at No. 87 in the ].<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book | ||
| Line 62: | Line 63: | ||
| | page= 139}}</ref> | | page= 139}}</ref> | ||
| Dando has |
Dando has worked as a TV presenter on a variety of shows for the ], ITV and ]. She also worked as a model, actress and singer. | ||
| Her TV career started with the ] presenting the children's programme 'Stopwatch' with ] and ]. | Her TV career started with the ] presenting the children's programme ''Stopwatch'' with ] and ]. Dando first joined ] in 1993, mainly on live sports programmes, with occasional appearances on the BBC for national and international gymnastics events. She presented the ] art programme, ''Awash with Colour'' and BBC's ''The Pet Set''. She co-presented the ''Horse of Year Show'' in 2009. | ||
| She first joined ] at the end of 1993, mainly live programmes on basketball and show jumping, with the odd stint on the ] for national and international gymnastics events. She presented the ] art programme, 'Awash with Colour,' and BBC's 'The Pet Set'. Most recently co-presenting Horse of Year Show 2009. | |||
| ==Charitable activity== | ==Charitable activity== | ||
| Dando has been an ambassador of ] since 1999 and a patron for Against Breast Cancer<ref>{{cite web|title=Patrons|url=https://www.againstbreastcancer.org.uk/about-us/patrons/|website=Against Breast Cancer}}</ref> since the early 1990s. She has taken part in many of their fundraising events |
Dando has been an ambassador of ] since 1999 and a patron for Against Breast Cancer<ref>{{cite web|title=Patrons|url=https://www.againstbreastcancer.org.uk/about-us/patrons/|website=Against Breast Cancer}}</ref> since the early 1990s. She has taken part in many of their fundraising events, such as launching the Oxford Bike Ride and more recently the charity's first Breast Walk Ever, a marathon walk throughout ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Biography|url=http://www.suzannedando.com/biography.html|website=Suzanne Dando}}</ref> | ||
| A former Honorary Vice-President of ], she raised over £18,000 running the ] in 2008 alongside her husband Adam Reynolds and the Children's Trust former patient, Alfie Russell.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alfie completes his marathon challenge|url=http://thechildrenstrust.nemisys.uk.com/news.asp?section=30§ionTitle=News&page=&from=2008/4/01&to=2008/05/01&itemid=1342|website=The Children's Trust}}</ref> In 2011, she teamed up with Russell again when they successfully summited ], raising another £11,000 for charity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Biography|url=http://www.suzannedando.com/biography.html|website=Suzanne Dando}}</ref> | A former Honorary Vice-President of ], she raised over £18,000 running the ] in 2008 alongside her husband Adam Reynolds and the Children's Trust former patient, Alfie Russell.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alfie completes his marathon challenge|url=http://thechildrenstrust.nemisys.uk.com/news.asp?section=30§ionTitle=News&page=&from=2008/4/01&to=2008/05/01&itemid=1342|website=The Children's Trust}}</ref> In 2011, she teamed up with Russell again when they successfully summited ], raising another £11,000 for charity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Biography|url=http://www.suzannedando.com/biography.html|website=Suzanne Dando}}</ref> | ||
| A passionate supporter |
A passionate supporter of Britain's Armed Forces, Dando coordinated The Remembrance Expedition in support of the ] in 2010. Following an old wartime escape route, she led a team of women past and present from the ], ] and Army across the ], raising £38,000 for the charities' proposed Battle Back Centres.<ref>{{cite web|title=Female forces personnel face the 'Freedom Trail' in honour of WWII veteran|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/female-forces-personnel-face-the-freedom-trail-in-honour-of-wwii-veteran|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom}}</ref> | ||
| A former trustee of The Baton charity, founded by |
A former trustee of The Baton charity, founded by Alan Rowe, Dando ran the Baton Relay in 2013, a 110-mile team run from ] though the night to the ] (NMA) in Staffordshire.<ref>{{cite web|title="The Baton" Charity Run from Brize Norton to the National Arboretum|url=http://www.thebaton.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Brize-Norton-to-NMA-Press-Release.pdf|website=The Baton}}</ref> | ||
| Dando is a lifelong animal lover and has rescued a number of dogs, cats and horses. She currently |
Dando is a lifelong animal lover and has rescued a number of dogs, cats and horses. She currently supports the ] and ] (by sponsoring dogs), as well as her local branch of ] and the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Patrons|url=http://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/our-patrons|website=World Horse Welfare}}</ref> | ||
| In the 2015 ], |
In the 2015 ], Dando was awarded a ] (BEM) for services to charity.<ref>{{cite web|title=British Empire Medal|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2455858|website=The Gazette}}</ref> | ||
| ==Personal life== | ==Personal life== | ||
| In July 1987, Dando married Graham Maclean, a composer and songwriter, in ]. |
In July 1987, Dando married Graham Maclean, a composer and songwriter, in ]. The couple later divorced. In September 1996, Dando married the Australian actor Bruce Roberts at ] but he returned to Australia alone in the winter of 1998. At the time he said that he hoped their relationship could survive the separation.<ref>'']'', 7 November 1998</ref> It did not and the couple divorced. Dando is now married to businessman Adam Reynolds and lives in ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Olympic gymnast Suzanne Dando-Reynolds awarded BEM for work with a number of charities|url=http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/new_year_honours_2015/14174349.New_Year_s_Honours__Olympic_gymnast_Suzanne_Dando_Reynolds_awarded_BEM_for_charity_work/|date=30 December 2015|website=Oxford Mail}}</ref> | ||
| ==Competition record== | ==Competition record== | ||
| {{unsourced|section|date=December 2024}} | |||
| * Lilia-White Championships: 1st UB | * Lilia-White Championships: 1st UB | ||
| * Grade 6 National Champion. | * Grade 6 National Champion. | ||
| Line 96: | Line 97: | ||
| * GBR Nationals: 3rd AA | * GBR Nationals: 3rd AA | ||
| * Coca-Cola International v China: 7th AA (tie) | * Coca-Cola International v China: 7th AA (tie) | ||
| * 1979 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships |
* 1979 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: 16th | ||
| * 1980 British Championship: 1st AA | * 1980 British Championship: 1st AA | ||
| * 1980 Champions Cup: 1st AA | * 1980 Champions Cup: 1st AA | ||
| Line 102: | Line 103: | ||
| * 1980 Champions All: 6th AA | * 1980 Champions All: 6th AA | ||
| * 1980 Cottbus Intl: 14th AA | * 1980 Cottbus Intl: 14th AA | ||
| * 1980 Summer Olympics:27th AA | * 1980 Summer Olympics: 27th AA | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
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| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
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| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 01:03, 29 December 2024
British gymnast
| Suzanne Jane Dando | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1961-07-03) 3 July 1961 (age 63) Balham, London |
| Gymnastics career | |
| Country represented |  Great Britain |
| Gym | Ladywell Gymnastics Club |
| Retired | 1980 |
Suzanne Jane Dando, BEM (born 3 July 1961) is a British former Olympic gymnast, who competed at the 1979 World Gymnastics Championship in Fort Worth, Dallas and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Since her retirement, she has worked as a television broadcaster for a number of channels, including BBC1, BBC2, Channel 4 and Sky Sports. She serves as a patron and trustee of a number of charities.
Early life
Suzanne Dando was born in Balham, London and spent her early years in Merstham, Surrey. Her parents later moved to Uckfield, Sussex where she spent her childhood. She studied at Uckfield Comprehensive and Catford Girls School.
British and Olympic gymnast
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Suzanne Dando" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Her gymnastics talent was first recognised at age eleven by a school physical education teacher. She passed all the BAGA awards and climbed onto the uneven bars for the first time when she was 12. In 1975 she left her family home in Sussex and moved to London to further her gymnastics career. She first represented her country at international level in 1976 aged 15 when she competed for Britain against West Germany.
In 1977, after winning many National titles, she was awarded a Sir Winston Churchill Scholarship Churchill Fellowship allowing her to spend time training in the US in 1978. She returned to the US in early 1979, returning home in time to compete in the British Championships. However, she sustained an injury and could not compete, which ruled her out of the squad for the 1979 European Championships. On recovery, she went on to represent her country in the 1979 World Championships, Fort Worth, Dallas USA, gaining her F.I.G. Gold Pin.
In 1980, Dando won the 'Champion of Champions' title at the Royal Albert Hall. In May she became the overall British National Champion. She led her teammates, Susan Cheesborough and Denise Jones, to the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
Retirement
Dando retired after the Olympics, explaining that the direction the sport was taking concerned her, as the serious injuries, like Yelena Mukhina's, were increasing. Dando later revealed to the UK press that she had suffered anorexia whilst a gymnast. At one point, her parents and coaches reduced her training until she regained her strength and started eating properly.
After gymnastics
Following her retirement, Dando coached the under fives in gymnastics at the Lewisham Leisure Centre in South London. She wrote a book, "Fun Ways to Looking Good", and produced and presented her own fitness video, "Flexercise". In the early 1980s, she made several appearances for the Conservative Party, citing Margaret Thatcher as her inspiration.
In 1983, Dando was the gymnastics supervisor for the Bond film, Octopussy. The following year her fitness album, Shape Up and Dance with Suzanne Dando, peaked at No. 87 in the UK Albums Chart.
Dando has worked as a TV presenter on a variety of shows for the BBC, ITV and Channel Four. She also worked as a model, actress and singer.
Her TV career started with the BBC presenting the children's programme Stopwatch with Daley Thompson and Janice Long. Dando first joined Sky Sports in 1993, mainly on live sports programmes, with occasional appearances on the BBC for national and international gymnastics events. She presented the BBC2 art programme, Awash with Colour and BBC's The Pet Set. She co-presented the Horse of Year Show in 2009.
Charitable activity
Dando has been an ambassador of The Prince's Trust since 1999 and a patron for Against Breast Cancer since the early 1990s. She has taken part in many of their fundraising events, such as launching the Oxford Bike Ride and more recently the charity's first Breast Walk Ever, a marathon walk throughout Oxfordshire.
A former Honorary Vice-President of The Children's Trust, she raised over £18,000 running the London Marathon in 2008 alongside her husband Adam Reynolds and the Children's Trust former patient, Alfie Russell. In 2011, she teamed up with Russell again when they successfully summited Mount Kilimanjaro, raising another £11,000 for charity.
A passionate supporter of Britain's Armed Forces, Dando coordinated The Remembrance Expedition in support of the Royal British Legion in 2010. Following an old wartime escape route, she led a team of women past and present from the Royal Navy, RAF and Army across the Pyrenees, raising £38,000 for the charities' proposed Battle Back Centres.
A former trustee of The Baton charity, founded by Alan Rowe, Dando ran the Baton Relay in 2013, a 110-mile team run from RAF Brize Norton though the night to the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in Staffordshire.
Dando is a lifelong animal lover and has rescued a number of dogs, cats and horses. She currently supports the Dogs Trust and Blue Cross (by sponsoring dogs), as well as her local branch of Riding for the Disabled Association and the World Horse Welfare.
In the 2015 New Year Honours, Dando was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to charity.
Personal life
In July 1987, Dando married Graham Maclean, a composer and songwriter, in Westminster. The couple later divorced. In September 1996, Dando married the Australian actor Bruce Roberts at Uckfield but he returned to Australia alone in the winter of 1998. At the time he said that he hoped their relationship could survive the separation. It did not and the couple divorced. Dando is now married to businessman Adam Reynolds and lives in Oxfordshire.
Competition record
| This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Suzanne Dando" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
- Lilia-White Championships: 1st UB
- Grade 6 National Champion.
- Grade 4 National Champion.
- British Vault Champion.
- British Beam Champion.
- British Floor Champion.
- GBR-TCH Dual Meet: 4th AA
- GBR-HUN Dual Meet: 5th AA
- GBR Nationals: 3rd AA
- Coca-Cola International v China: 7th AA (tie)
- 1979 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: 16th
- 1980 British Championship: 1st AA
- 1980 Champions Cup: 1st AA
- 1980 GBR-HUN Dual Meet: 3rd AA
- 1980 Champions All: 6th AA
- 1980 Cottbus Intl: 14th AA
- 1980 Summer Olympics: 27th AA
References
- "FIG World Class Gymnasts". British Gymnastics.
- "Best & Worst: Suzanne Dando". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 139. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- "Patrons". Against Breast Cancer.
- "Biography". Suzanne Dando.
- "Alfie completes his marathon challenge". The Children's Trust.
- "Biography". Suzanne Dando.
- "Female forces personnel face the 'Freedom Trail' in honour of WWII veteran". Government of the United Kingdom.
- ""The Baton" Charity Run from Brize Norton to the National Arboretum" (PDF). The Baton.
- "Our Patrons". World Horse Welfare.
- "British Empire Medal". The Gazette.
- Hello!, 7 November 1998
- "Olympic gymnast Suzanne Dando-Reynolds awarded BEM for work with a number of charities". Oxford Mail. 30 December 2015.
External links
Categories:- 1961 births
- Living people
- People from Balham
- Sportspeople from the London Borough of Wandsworth
- English female artistic gymnasts
- British female artistic gymnasts
- English television presenters
- English businesspeople
- Olympic gymnasts for Great Britain
- Gymnasts at the 1980 Summer Olympics
- People from Uckfield
- Sportspeople from Surrey
- 20th-century English sportswomen