⛸️ “A Split Second Changed Everything.” Olympic Star’s ‘Worst Nightmare’ On The Ice Still Haunts Her — And The Story Isn’t Over
Gabriella Papadakis experienced a significant setback in her pursuit of an Olympic gold medal when she suffered an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction during her performance. While competing in the ice dance event at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics alongside former skating partner Guillaume Cizeron, the 30-year-old endured an embarrassing costume mishap.
During their routine at the Gangneung Ice Arena, Cizeron spun Papadakis around, inadvertently causing her top to loosen and expose her nipple. The pair were among the favourites for gold, and Papadakis referred to the incident as her “worst nightmare.”
Reflecting on the incident after their performance, she said: “My costume opened up. It was difficult. It’s the first time that something like that happened. I tried to stay focused and finish without anything else happening.”
Despite the wardrobe malfunction, the French duo received an impressive score of 81.93 from the judges, placing them second at the halfway stage. Cizeron later suggested that the mishap cost them crucial points as they went on to secure the silver medal with a final score of 205.28.
The 31-year-old expressed his frustration, saying: “It’s just frustrating to miss a few points just because of a costume issue. It’s not what we get ready for when we train. But you know, I’m so proud that we managed to pull out a program like that even with a difficulty like this.
“And we just look forward to a new day tomorrow and we have our chances to win and we’ll just do our best. The outfit was in our thoughts all along the program, a little bit.
“I think the twizzles is the only thing that kind of affected us the most because, you know, when you rotate it’s kind of hard to keep your dress on when it’s open.”
Four years on in Beijing, the ice skaters recovered to secure gold at last, defeating Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, who claimed silver. After retiring in December 2024, Papadakis was scheduled to serve as a commentator for NBC during Winter Olympics 2026, but was dropped from the position amid controversy over her memoir ‘So as Not to Disappear’.
In the book, the 30-year-old described Cizeron, 31, as “controlling, demanding and critical” during their figure skating partnership. The Frenchman rejected his former partner’s claims, alleging she included false information in her memoir and accusing her of conducting what he termed a “smear campaign” against him.
Cizeron stated: “In the face of this smear campaign, 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.”
Speaking to L’Equipe this month, Papadakis revealed: “To my knowledge, in reaction to Guillaume filing a formal notice, which was made public, they (NBC) considered that the perception of my neutrality was compromised and that I could not commentate on the Olympic Games.
“I’m not dealing with it very well, I’ve cried a lot. I was super disappointed because I was just beginning that career as a commentator.”