NBC drop ice dancer from Winter Olympics protection amid her ugly public feud together with her ex-partner
NBC have dropped retired ice dancer Gabriella Papadakis from their upcoming Winter Olympics coverage following her accusations against her former partner.
On Thursday, Papadakis released her new memoir, ‘Pour ne pas disparaître (So as Not to Disappear)’, which took aim at former colleague Guillaume Cizeron and his alleged ‘controlling, demanding’ and ‘critical’ behavior towards the French ice skater.
Shortly after the book’s release, NBC confirmed the decision to pull Papadakis from their commentary lineup for the Winter Games, citing a ‘conflict of interest’.
In a statement provided to Sportico, the network said: ‘We respect Gabriella’s right to tell the story of her life and career. At the same time, her new book creates a clear conflict of interest.
‘Our responsibility is to deliver coverage that our audience can trust to be free of bias – whether actual or perceived – and we regret that is no longer possible given the circumstances.’
Papadakis began working as an Ice Dance analyst for NBC Sports in January 2025 and had been scheduled to be part of their commentary team for the Winter Games.
NBC have dropped retired ice dancer Gabriella Papadakis, left, from their Winter Olympics coverage following her accusations against former partner Guillaume Cizeron
The network said: ‘We respect Gabriella’s right to tell the story of her life and career. At the same time, her new book creates a clear conflict of interest’.
The network had previously released a roster featuring 82 personalities that would feature in their coverage next month but, now, Papadakis will not be part of that.
Along with the aforementioned claims, Papadakis also alleged that she eventually refused to skate with Cizeron as she often felt she was ‘under his grip’.
In her book, Papadakis also revealed the emotional turmoil she went through during her teenage years, sexual assaults she suffered, and her experience of abortion.
In response to Papadakis, Cizeron released a statement which refuted her claims and labelled her book as a ‘smear campaign’ against him.
‘In the face of this smear campaign, I want to express my incomprehension and disagreement with the labels attributed to me,’ he said.
‘These allegations arise at a particularly sensitive time… thereby raising questions about the underlying intentions behind this campaign.
‘I also wish to denounce the content of the book, which contains false information, attributing to me, among other things, statements I have never made and which I consider serious.’
The 31-year-old is gearing up to skate in the 2026 Winter Olympics, where he will take to the ice with new partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry.
Papadakis and Cizeron were childhood skating partners until their split in 2024
Cizeron will take to the ice with new partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry, pictured, next month
Cizeron also said he has asked his lawyers ‘to formally put all parties involved on notice to immediately cease the dissemination of defamatory statements about me.’
‘For more than 20 years, I have shown deep respect for Gabriella Papadakis, whom I have always regarded as a true partner,’ he said. ‘Despite a gradual erosion of our bond over the years, our relationship — based on equal collaboration both athletically and personally — has been marked by moments of success and mutual support.’
Papadakis and Cizeron became one of the most decorated duos in the history of ice dance before they announced the end of their sporting partnership in December 2024. During their glittering career, they were credited with some of the most innovative and clinical sequences to music that figure skating has seen.
They broke their own world record in claiming gold at the Beijing Games and also won an Olympic silver medal, five world championships and five European Championships. The pair won the Grand Prix Final twice.
