Sharron Davies
Encyclopedia
Sharron Elizabeth Davies MBE
(born 1 November, 1962) is a retired swimmer
from the United Kingdom
. She won a silver medal in the 400 metre individual medley
at the 1980 Olympics
in Moscow
, and two gold medals at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
in Edmonton. Since retiring from the sport, she has worked as television presenter and served as a patron of charities for disabled children and fitness.
, Devon
, and grew up in Plymouth and Plymstock
. She has twin brothers. She attended the independent Kelly College
in Tavistock. Her father Terry coached her in swimming.
in Montreal
. Although her performance was not enough to get her in the medals, it did make her a household name. The next year she stepped up a gear to win two bronze medals in the 1977 European Championships. The following year, still just fifteen, she won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games
in the 200 and 400 metre individual medleys. She also picked up a further silver and bronze medal.
By 1980 Davies was ready for a more serious Olympic challenge. She took the silver medal in the 400 m individual medley behind East German Petra Schneider
, who later admitted that the victory was drug enhanced.
At the age of eighteen, Davies called time on the first stage of her swimming career in order to build her television profile and a career in modelling. In 1989, and training at Bracknell
& Wokingham
Swimming Club, she returned to the pool where she picked up two more medals at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. By the time she finally hung up her swimsuit for good in 1994, she had been a British champion on twenty occasions and had broken two hundred British swimming records and 5 World Masters records (eligible to those over 30).
In 1993, Davies was awarded the MBE for her services to swimming.
Davies has been very vocal in the calls for a reallocation of medals and titles at the various games where East German athletes won using illegal, drug supported development techniques. Sports bodies have recognised the superior achievement of athletes like Sharron who shunned the use of performance enhancing substances but have fallen short of rewriting the medal tables.
where she made a strong case for bringing the games to London
.
Davies is a current patron of the Disabled Sport England
and the Sports Aid Foundation. She is also the face of the Swim for Life charity event.
Davies' early ventures beyond swimming included appearing in a ski tuition video with world champion Franz Klammer
, alongside fellow swimmer Duncan Goodhew
. She also featured in the BBC's 1981 series "Sporting Superstars".
She later joined the team of former British sports stars in presenting and commentating on sport coverage for the BBC
. Initially this covered swimming but was extended to other sports for the Atlanta
and Sydney Olympics
.
Davies caused a stir in the swimming community in 1994 when she headed a "British Girls of Sport" calendar. Instead of their usual functional sporting outfits, the athletes adopted a variety of sexy outfits in order to raise money for the Sports Aid Foundation. Davies had a breast enhancement operation after the birth of her first child and her figure was the subject of much tabloid gossip during the 2004 Olympic Games
.
Davies has published a number of health and fitness videos and co-authored books on the same topic. In 1995 she joined ITV's Gladiators where her glamorous appearance, 5 in 11 in (1.8 m) height and athleticism were employed to good effect as the Gladiator Amazon. A knee injury forced her to withdraw from the gameshow in 1996. She later complained of the health and safety aspects of the show.
In 1994, a documentary was made about Davies and Redmond for the Xpress (TV series)
. It was produced and directed by Pogus Caesar
for Windrush Productions and broadcast on Carlton TV.
Also in 1996, Davies became a presenter of Channel 4
's The Big Breakfast
.
She continues to appear regularly as one of the BBC's main swimming commentators, assisted by her encyclopaedic knowledge of swimming records and natural glamour. Her achievements and position as a positive role model mean that she continues to be very popular and retains a substantial fan base despite a lower profile.
Davies returned to British TV screens weekly from July 2008 as a joint host presenter along with Jim Rosenthal
on Five's latest revival of the long running celebrity sports competition Superstars
.
She provided commentary for the BBC at the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
and was a presenter at London's Olympics Handover Party in the Mall
.
In January 2010 Davies took part in the ITV series Dancing on Ice
, partnered by regular participant Pavel Albrecht. She was eliminated on 21 February 2010 (Week 7 of the series).
Davies then married physical training instructor John Crisp in West Sussex
in 1987; they were divorced in 1991.
In 1992, she met athlete Derek Redmond
at the Barcelona Olympics. In 1994 they were married in Northampton
, and had two children together: Elliott Anthony (born 1993, Northampton
) and Grace Elizabeth (born 1998, Gloucestershire
). They were divorced in 2000.
Davies's third marriage was to British Airways
pilot Tony Kingston. They were married in 2002 in Gloucestershire. In autumn 2006, she announced that she was three months pregnant after IVF treatment, having been trying for a baby for four years and suffering two miscarriages. During a Sport Relief
event in Devon
, she said: “We’re very optimistic and happy but we’re cautious, too, because of what we have been through. Giving birth at 43 doesn’t worry me. I’m in better shape than most women 15 years younger. So many women go through this as they leave it later to have babies.” Davies gave birth to her third child and second son, Finley John Kingston-Davies, on 30 January 2007. She split up with Kingston after seven years of marriage. Davies currently lives in a Grade II listed house in the Wiltshire
town of Bradford on Avon
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1 November, 1962) is a retired swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. She won a silver medal in the 400 metre individual medley
Medley swimming
Medley is a combination of four different swimming styles into one race. This race is either swum by one swimmer as individual medley or by four swimmers as a medley relay...
at the 1980 Olympics
Swimming at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Swimming as usual was one of the three Aquatics disciplines at the 1980 Summer Olympics--the other two being Water Polo and Diving. The swimming competition consisted of 26 events: 13 for men and 13 for women. It was held in the Swimming Pool of the Olimpiysky Sports Complex between July 20 and...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and two gold medals at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
1978 Commonwealth Games
The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, from 3 to 12 August 1978, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal, Quebec...
in Edmonton. Since retiring from the sport, she has worked as television presenter and served as a patron of charities for disabled children and fitness.
Early life
Davies was born in PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, and grew up in Plymouth and Plymstock
Plymstock
Plymstock is a civil parish and commuter suburb of Plymouth in the English county of Devon.The earliest surviving documentary reference to the place is as Plemestocha in the Domesday Book and its name is derived from Old English meaning either "outlying farm with a plum-tree" or, if it is short for...
. She has twin brothers. She attended the independent Kelly College
Kelly College
Kelly College is a coeducational independent school situated in the outskirts of Tavistock, Devon, with around 350 students ranging from ages 11 to 18; there is an associated preparatory school for primary school children, Kelly College Preparatory School, nearby.The college has eight hectares of...
in Tavistock. Her father Terry coached her in swimming.
Swimming
She learned to swim at the age of six and was training seriously two years later. She set a record by swimming for the British national team at the age of only eleven. She was so determined that she continued her training even after breaking both her wrists in a childhood accident. In 1976, still only thirteen, Davies was selected to represent Great Britain at the 1976 Summer Olympics1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. Although her performance was not enough to get her in the medals, it did make her a household name. The next year she stepped up a gear to win two bronze medals in the 1977 European Championships. The following year, still just fifteen, she won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
in the 200 and 400 metre individual medleys. She also picked up a further silver and bronze medal.
By 1980 Davies was ready for a more serious Olympic challenge. She took the silver medal in the 400 m individual medley behind East German Petra Schneider
Petra Schneider
Petra Schneider is a former medley and freestyle swimmer from East Germany in the 1970s and 1980s....
, who later admitted that the victory was drug enhanced.
At the age of eighteen, Davies called time on the first stage of her swimming career in order to build her television profile and a career in modelling. In 1989, and training at Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
& Wokingham
Wokingham
Wokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
Swimming Club, she returned to the pool where she picked up two more medals at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. By the time she finally hung up her swimsuit for good in 1994, she had been a British champion on twenty occasions and had broken two hundred British swimming records and 5 World Masters records (eligible to those over 30).
In 1993, Davies was awarded the MBE for her services to swimming.
Davies has been very vocal in the calls for a reallocation of medals and titles at the various games where East German athletes won using illegal, drug supported development techniques. Sports bodies have recognised the superior achievement of athletes like Sharron who shunned the use of performance enhancing substances but have fallen short of rewriting the medal tables.
Other activities
In 2006, Davies supported the British Olympic bid by profile raising and appearing as spokesperson on BBC's Question TimeQuestion Time
Question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers , which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances...
where she made a strong case for bringing the games to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Davies is a current patron of the Disabled Sport England
Sport England
Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and the Sports Aid Foundation. She is also the face of the Swim for Life charity event.
Media career
Franz Klammer
Franz Klammer is a former champion alpine ski racer. Klammer overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons . He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, winning the downhill at Patscherkofel in dramatic fashion...
, alongside fellow swimmer Duncan Goodhew
Duncan Goodhew
Duncan Alexander Goodhew MBE is a British swimming athlete. After swimming competitively in America as a collegian at North Carolina State University, he was an Olympic swimmer for Great Britain and won Olympic gold and bronze medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.-Biography:Goodhew...
. She also featured in the BBC's 1981 series "Sporting Superstars".
She later joined the team of former British sports stars in presenting and commentating on sport coverage for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Initially this covered swimming but was extended to other sports for the Atlanta
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
and Sydney Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
Davies caused a stir in the swimming community in 1994 when she headed a "British Girls of Sport" calendar. Instead of their usual functional sporting outfits, the athletes adopted a variety of sexy outfits in order to raise money for the Sports Aid Foundation. Davies had a breast enhancement operation after the birth of her first child and her figure was the subject of much tabloid gossip during the 2004 Olympic Games
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
.
Davies has published a number of health and fitness videos and co-authored books on the same topic. In 1995 she joined ITV's Gladiators where her glamorous appearance, 5 in 11 in (1.8 m) height and athleticism were employed to good effect as the Gladiator Amazon. A knee injury forced her to withdraw from the gameshow in 1996. She later complained of the health and safety aspects of the show.
In 1994, a documentary was made about Davies and Redmond for the Xpress (TV series)
Xpress (TV series)
XPRESS was an award-winning multi-cultural entertainment television series.Notable appearances on the program included performances from Aaliyah, China Black, Pato Banton, Apache Indian, Ranking Roger from ska band The Beat, New Power Generation and Edwin Starr...
. It was produced and directed by Pogus Caesar
Pogus Caesar
Pogus Caesar is a British artist, television producer and director. He was born in St Kitts, West Indies, and grew up in Birmingham, England.-History:...
for Windrush Productions and broadcast on Carlton TV.
Also in 1996, Davies became a presenter of Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 and S4C each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002 during which period 2,482 shows were produced. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former...
.
She continues to appear regularly as one of the BBC's main swimming commentators, assisted by her encyclopaedic knowledge of swimming records and natural glamour. Her achievements and position as a positive role model mean that she continues to be very popular and retains a substantial fan base despite a lower profile.
Davies returned to British TV screens weekly from July 2008 as a joint host presenter along with Jim Rosenthal
Jim Rosenthal
Jim Rosenthal is a sports presenter on British television.-Early life:Rosenthal grew up in Oxford and attended Josca's Preparatory School before going to Magdalen College School...
on Five's latest revival of the long running celebrity sports competition Superstars
Superstars
Superstars is an all-around sports competition that pits elite athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic events resembling a decathlon....
.
She provided commentary for the BBC at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and was a presenter at London's Olympics Handover Party in the Mall
The Mall (London)
The Mall in central London is the road running from Buckingham Palace at its western end to Admiralty Arch and on to Trafalgar Square at its eastern end. It then crosses Spring Gardens, which was where the Metropolitan Board of Works and, for a number of years, the London County Council were...
.
In January 2010 Davies took part in the ITV series Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
, partnered by regular participant Pavel Albrecht. She was eliminated on 21 February 2010 (Week 7 of the series).
Personal life
In the 1980s, Davies lived with and was engaged to Neil Adams, who had won numerous Olympic and World Championship medals in judo, until he suddenly left her to marry a hairdresser.Davies then married physical training instructor John Crisp in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
in 1987; they were divorced in 1991.
In 1992, she met athlete Derek Redmond
Derek Redmond
Derek Anthony Redmond is a retired British athlete. During his career, he held the British record for the 400 metres sprint, and won gold medals in the 4x400 metres relay at the World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Games.However his career was blighted by a series of...
at the Barcelona Olympics. In 1994 they were married in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, and had two children together: Elliott Anthony (born 1993, Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
) and Grace Elizabeth (born 1998, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
). They were divorced in 2000.
Davies's third marriage was to British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
pilot Tony Kingston. They were married in 2002 in Gloucestershire. In autumn 2006, she announced that she was three months pregnant after IVF treatment, having been trying for a baby for four years and suffering two miscarriages. During a Sport Relief
Sport Relief
Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries...
event in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, she said: “We’re very optimistic and happy but we’re cautious, too, because of what we have been through. Giving birth at 43 doesn’t worry me. I’m in better shape than most women 15 years younger. So many women go through this as they leave it later to have babies.” Davies gave birth to her third child and second son, Finley John Kingston-Davies, on 30 January 2007. She split up with Kingston after seven years of marriage. Davies currently lives in a Grade II listed house in the Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
town of Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is a town in west Wiltshire, England with a population of about 9,326. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists....
.