Who is Helen Glover? Steve Backshall’s wife and Team GB Olympic rowing gold medallist
HELEN Glover is a British rowing legend who has continued the nation’s rich lineage of Olympic success in the sport.
Along with her partner Heather Stanning, the rower has dominated the coxless pairs. Here’s what you need to know about her…
Who is Helen Glover?
Helen Glover, 33, was born in Truro, Cornwall, on June 17, 1986.
She comes from a sporting family, with her dad being a rugby player who once played for Cornwall against the All Blacks.
Glover herself excelled in most sports as a teenager, playing hockey and tennis for Cornwall and running in international middle distance competitions.
When she was on the verge of graduating from a PGCE at UWIC in Cardiff, she applied to the Sporting Giants scheme and there she was placed on GB Rowing Team’s “Start” programme under coach Paul Stannard at Minerva Bath Rowing Club in Bath.
The 5 foot 10 rower later admitted to standing on tip toes to gain access to the Sporting Giants scheme.
How many Olympic gold medals has Helen Glover won?
In 2012, in partnership with Stanning, Glover set the Olympic record by taking gold in the women’s coxless pairs.
It was Team GB’s first gold medal of the London games, and the first time British women’s rowing had triumphed on the Olympic stage.
The duo repeated the feat at Rio 2016, having taken World Championship glory in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Glover was appointed MBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to rowing, and was honoured with a commemorative postage stamp and gold post box in Penzance after her London 2012 victory.
When did Helen Glover marry Steve Backshall?
Glover met popular wildlife TV presenter Steve Backshall in 2014 during the BBC fundraiser Sport Relief.
They got engaged the following year, making the announcement from Namibia on Twitter, and were married on September 10, 2016.
In March 2018, they announced that they were expecting twins together, describing the news as “the biggest adventure of our lives”.
Backshall had previously said that they’d held off from starting a family so that his wife could continue focusing on her sporting career.
In April, 2018 the double-Olympic gold winner revealed on Twitter that she had suffered a miscarriage and lost one of the twins.
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On July 25, 2018 Helen gave birth to a healthy baby boy after tragically miscarrying his twin.
Helen shared the news with a stunning photo on Instagram which showed the new dad’s thumb stroking a tiny little foot.
She added the heartwrenching caption: “Steve and I will are excited to welcome Baby Boy Backshall to the world.
“We promise to make it a great one for you little man.”
On 20 January 2020, Backshall and Glover announced the birth of their twins, Kit Newlyn and Willow Bo.