Winter Olympics 2026: Guillaume Cizeron accuses former partner Gabriella Papadakis of smear campaign

Olympic ice dancing champion Guillaume Cizeron has accused his former partner Gabriella Papadakis of spreading false information about him in a “smear campaign”.

Cizeron, who won gold with Bakadakis for France at the 2022 Winter Olympics, said she had published “defamatory statements” about him in a new book due to be released on Thursday.

In excerpts published by French media, Bakadakis described an “unbalanced” relationship with Cizeron in which she felt “under his grip” and accused him of being “controlling” and “demanding.”

The pair first teamed up as children and are among the most decorated figure skaters in history, having won five world championship titles along with Olympic gold in Beijing and silver in PyeongChang four years ago.

“In the face of this smear campaign, I want to express my lack of understanding and disagreement with the labels attributed to me,” Cizeron, 31, said.

“The book contains false information, including statements I never made, which I consider dangerous.”

Cizeron added that he had instructed his lawyers to demand an immediate cessation of Papadakis’ allegations.

“For more than 20 years, I have shown deep respect for Gabriella Papadakis,” Cizeron said.

“Despite the gradual erosion of our ties, our relationship has been built on equal cooperation and has been characterized by success and mutual support.”

In 2022, Cizeron and Papadakis, 30, announced they would take a break from the sport before ending their partnership after two years.

Cizeron will compete at the European Championships in Sheffield this week with new partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry ahead of next month’s Winter Olympics in Milan.

Since his retirement in 2024, Papadakis has served as a broadcaster at figure skating events.