These Canadian and French ice dancers may be celebrating gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but their win has not come without controversy.
On Wednesday, February 11, Canadian ice dancer Laurence Fournier Beaudry and France’s Guillaume Cizeron struck gold less than a year into their dance partnership, beating out the favorites to win, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the US’ ice dancers who won the silver medal.
Not only was it a stunning upset, but it sent further shockwaves throughout the Olympic community, and it’s not the first time the pair have done so. Catch up on their controversy below.
Laurence and Guillaume’s partnership
Laurence, 33, and Guillaume, 31, only announced their partnership in March 2025, a move that was quickly met with scrutiny, after both were left in need of new partners after respective controversies.”
We started a new chapter a year ago,” Guillaume told reporters via Reuters at the Olympics earlier this month, of being at the Games with Laurence. “Neither of us would have thought we’d be here today, so everything is like a bonus for us.”
Laurence’s controversy
Prior to pairing up with Guillaume, Laurence was paired up, professionally and romantically, with Nikolaj Sorensen, who was suspended from the sport in 2024 after he was accused of a 2012 sexual assault against a former skater and coach.
His initial six-year suspension was eventually overturned, however he has largely stayed away from the sport, which Laurence opened up about in the Netflix documentary Glitter & Gold: Ice Dancing.
© Getty ImagesNikolaj’s alleged victim, an American figure skating coach and former skater, shared via a statement to sports reporter Christine Brennan: “The comments by the French team in the press and on a Netflix documentary create a dangerous environment for skaters who need to report abuse.”
“The comments of the reigning Olympic champion and a team in contention for the upcoming Olympic title carry weight, and using their voices to publicly undermine a survivor’s truths further enforces the culture of silence in figure skating,” the statement, shared on Twitter (X), ended.
During an episode of Glitter & Gold, Laurence also suggested that she and her boyfriend had planned on competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics together, and that she felt like “collateral damage” in the wake of his sexual assault allegations.
© Getty ImagesGuillaume’s controversy
A month before the Olympics, on January 15, Guillaume’s former partner until 2022, Gabriella Papadakis, released her memoir, in which she accused him of being “controlling” and “demanding,” detailing their “unbalanced relationship.”
“I may have been under a kind of control and experiencing things that were not acceptable, but in fact, that relationship reflects the system,” she also told Agence France-Presse in January 2026, adding: “It’s not unique, it’s very common. There are still plenty of people living it today.”
Guillaume has since told Reuters the allegations are a “smear campaign” and that he would be pursuing legal action, telling the outlet: “I want to express my incomprehension and disagreement with the labels attributed to me.”
“The book contains false information, including statements I never made, which I consider serious,” he continued. “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.”
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