NBC said Olympic ice dancing champion Gabriella Papadakis was banned from covering the upcoming Winter Olympics after writing a new book criticizing her former partner, who will compete in the Games.
Papadakis wrote in “So as Not To Disappear” that Guillaume Cizeron, with whom she won the gold medal for France at the 2022 Winter Olympics was ‘controlling’, ‘demanding’ and made her afraid to be alone with him, The Associated Press reported this earlier. Cizeron, who will work with Laurence Fournier Beaudry in Italy, accused Papadakis of a ‘smear campaign’.
“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 said in a statement to Sportico. “It is our responsibility to deliver reporting that our audiences can trust is free from bias – factual or perceived – and we regret that this is no longer possible given the circumstances.”
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Here’s AP’s previous story:
Olympic ice dancing champion Gabriella Papadakis says she has lost her commentary role at NBC during the upcoming edition Winter Olympics because of her former skating partner’s reaction to revelations in her new book.
In an interview with sports daily L’Équipe on Friday, the retired French skater said the decision was made after Guillaume Cizeron publicly disputed what she wrote in ‘So as Not to Disappear’, which was released this week.
Cizeron asked his lawyers on Tuesday to formally notify all parties involved of the termination of the “ dissemination of defamatory statements” about him.
“As far as I know, in response to Guillaume’s filing of a formal notice, which was made public, they (NBC) considered that the perception of my neutrality had been compromised and that I could not comment on the Olympic Games,” Papadakis told L’Équipe.
“I’m not dealing with it very well, I cried a lot. I was super disappointed because I was just starting that career as a commentator.”
Papadakis, 30, who retired in December 2024, said: “It’s very difficult to lose the opportunity to start a new career. I understand NBC’s position, but yes, I experience a sense of injustice.”
In her book, Papadakis described suffering in a deeply unbalanced relationship with her longtime ice dancing partner Cizeron, with whom she broke the world record when she claimed gold at the 2022 ice dancing competition. Playing in Beijing.
Papadakis wrote that at one point the idea of being alone with him scared her. She wrote that he was a “controlling” and “demanding” partner, and sometimes expressed a feeling of being “in his grasp.”
In Friday’s interview, she elaborated further on their relationship.
“As long as I was in the backseat with Guillaume in charge, everything went well,” she said. “As I tried to be an equal in this relationship, things became more and more difficult.”
They also won five Olympic silver medals world championships and five European Championships combined, as well as the Grand Prix Final twice.
On Tuesday, Cizeron said Papadakis spread lies about him ahead of the Milan Cortina Winter Games from February 6 to 22.
“In light of the smear campaign directed at me, I would like to express my incomprehension and disagreement about the labels attributed to me,” Cizeron said. “These allegations come at a particularly sensitive time, raising questions about the underlying intentions behind this campaign.
“I would also like to denounce the content of the book, which contains false information that, among other things, attributes statements to me that I have never made and that I consider serious.”
Cizeron said he had shown “deep respect” for Papadakis and that their working relationship had seen “moments of success and mutual support”.
Papadakis countered that the book’s release would coincide with Cizeron’s participation in next month’s Olympic Games.
“I can understand this perception from the outside,” Papadakis said. “But the publication date was already planned before the announcement of his return (with his new skating partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry).”
HuffPost contributed to this report.
