Olympic ice dance champion Gabriella Papadakis revealed that she will no longer be providing commentary for NBC during the upcoming Winter Olympics due to a disagreement with her former skating partner, Guillaume Cizeron, over discrepancies in her newly released book, “So as Not to Disappear.”
In an interview with L’Equipe, Papadakis shared that NBC made the decision to remove her from the commentary role after Cizeron publicly challenged the content of her book by instructing his lawyers to issue formal notices to stop the spread of what he deemed as defamatory remarks about him.
Expressing her disappointment, Papadakis mentioned that she was just beginning her career as a commentator and felt deeply saddened by the turn of events. Despite understanding NBC’s stance, she expressed a sense of injustice at losing the opportunity to pursue this new career path.
In her book, Papadakis detailed her struggles in a strained relationship with Cizeron, citing feelings of imbalance and fear of being alone with him. She described him as controlling and demanding, leading to a sense of being under his influence. Papadakis further elaborated on their dynamic, emphasizing that difficulties arose when she sought equality in their partnership.
The duo, who achieved remarkable success together, including setting a world record and winning multiple championships, are now embroiled in a public dispute. Cizeron denounced the allegations against him as part of a smear campaign and expressed his confusion and disagreement with the labels being attached to him.
Papadakis clarified that the timing of her book’s release was not intended to coincide with Cizeron’s Olympic participation but was planned beforehand. Meanwhile, Cizeron, now paired with Laurence Fournier Beaudry, a former Canadian skater who gained French citizenship, is set to compete at the upcoming Olympics, poised as strong contenders in the ice dance category.