Russian figure skater, 7-time European champion and two-time world champion Irina Slutskaya has a strong character and is focused on winning. Having left her sports career, she is successfully implementing herself as a TV presenter, actress and singer and has no intention of remaining in the shadows. On February 9, on the occasion of Irina Slutskaya’s 35th birthday, we will dwell on interesting points in her biography.
1. Irina Slutskaya was born on February 9, 1979 in Moscow. Her father Eduard taught at an automotive technical school, and her mother Natalya Vladimirovna worked as an engineer. At the age of 4, they brought their daughter to the skating rink of the Moskvich sports club. Irina also studied at a ballet school. By the age of 6, Irina was already confident on skates and performed all the elements technically. Zhanna Gromova, a figure skating coach, drew attention to her.
2. The first sporting achievements were already the next year. In 1987, Irina Slutskaya won her first medal, and 4 years later she took third place at the USSR Junior Championships. In 1992, she was seventh at the World Championships. In 1995, her adult figure skating career began. At the European Championships she came in fifth place, and a year later Irina became the European champion, securing this high title in 1997.
3. In 1999-2000, Slutskaya won gold medals at the Russian and European championships, took first place in the Grand Prix finals and second at the World Championships.
In 2000 she graduated from Moscow state academy physical culture. I trained a lot. At the Olympic Games in 2002 she only took silver. In 2003 - again a gold medal at the European Championships.
Due to a serious illness I was forced to leave for a while big sport. Two years later she returned to the ice, winning the World Championship.
4. In 2006, Slutskaya won the European Championship for the seventh time. At the Olympics in Turin she received a bronze medal. In November 2006, she announced the end of her sports career. She has 40 gold, 21 silver and 18 bronze medals.
5. In 2006, Irina Slutskaya graduated from TV presenter courses and showed herself in this capacity in the show “Stars on Ice.”
6. She herself was a participant in I. Averbukh’s ice performances: “Winx on Ice” and “Sleeping Beauty”.
7. Irina also showed herself as a film actress, starring in the role of Sveta from the comedy melodrama “Three and a Snowflake” (2007), and in the sports melodramatic series “Hot Ice” (2008) her heroine is coach Anastasia Ivanova.
8. Irina also participated in “Ice Age” (2008), and a year later she was its co-host together with A. Zavorotnyuk, and in 2012-2013 - co-host with Yagudin.
9. Irina Slutskaya also performs with pop stars.
10. Irina is married to boxer athlete Sergei Mikheev. The couple has two children: son Artyom (2007) and daughter Varvara (2010).[
11. Irina Slutskaya - sports commentator for Channel One. She is also an ambassador for the 2014 Olympics.
I am not a supporter of empty dreams: I wish I could change the past. But I would like to return to the Olympics in Salt Lake City. No, no, and a thought flashes through: maybe you could jump above your own head! There's still some sediment left... Perhaps when the ice runs out completely for me, it will let go.
Although it seems man of sense...And I always understood that in that specific situation Little at all depended on me. Initially, it was clear: as long as American girls occupied all steps of the podium, they would simply not be able to win the Olympics in America.
Olympic wrestling, in fact, begins long before the competition and without any participation of the athletes themselves in the process. And at the same time, I didn’t see the slightest loophole to sue me! This was probably the most naive moment. It was not possible to remove due to technical errors, they were removed by marks for artistry... And this is incredibly annoying: when you realize that even if you did something absolutely fantastic, for example, jumped out of your skin while performing a sheepskin coat, you still won’t get gold they would give it. In Turin, where I ended up third, it was also disappointing, but in a different way - I made a mistake myself.
- I remember how in Salt Lake City you smiled diligently while listening to your assessments. But behind the curtain they still burst into tears: “They are blind! They are They hate us!
And no one could calm you down. Only after your husband called did you wipe your eyes and go to the award ceremony... What did Sergei tell you?
I admit, in fact, it’s very easy for me to cry even for less compelling reasons - I’m a very emotional person. And here they openly insulted me! What did Seryozha say then... It seems: “Darling, be patient. All will pass". That is, something completely ordinary. It’s just that “who said” is more important here than “what”. I’m not one of those young ladies who stomp their feet and shout: “Two carats and half a kilo of gold will calm me down!” I don’t need expensive gifts, marble toilets and personal berths; I look more for people and wait for inner support. And Sergei could always give this to me.
- Because you were raised differently? By the way, are generations of figure skaters very different?
Very. Sometimes it’s terribly funny to watch from the sidelines: a little success - and the girl already believes that now everyone is simply obliged to cover her with diamonds from head to toe! A new socialite is ready! But I don't blame anyone. It’s just that in my time everything was different, including sports. The prize money did not excite the imagination and certainly did not play a decisive role. We longed for fight and glory! For that matter, my first medal was made of aluminum, and my first valuable prize - a doll with blue hair, it seems, was awarded at Lokomotiv. I cherish both with love.
For the Junior World Championships, I remember I received $500. We were paid for the two of us with coach Zhanna Gromova at the Sokolniki Sports Palace. I was terribly proud, and for a long time my parents could not decide what to do with these dollars now.
It seems like it’s not really money... Mentally, mom and dad, even after the collapse of the USSR, existed for a long time in a happy Soviet country, in which there was no free circulation of foreign currency. That is, due to inertia, they treated green money with caution.
I remember in 1991, my mother exchanged rubles for dollars for the first time, because I was going to America for the World Championships. Naturally, this could only be done underground, my mother was terribly worried, she felt almost like a repeat offender... With shaking hands, she gave me these dollars with the parting words: “Try not to spend it.”
The first serious cash prize was $3,000 earned at the Goodwill Games. This happiness happened in 1994, I was still studying, so I asked my dad to buy a car so that he could take me to classes.
For a whole year I drove up to school like a queen in a blue Tavria. Then, alas, it fell apart, but the feeling of triumph remained. Because dad, in his wildest dreams, did not rise higher than “Zaporozhets”. And this was a Tavria, which we even had time to ride! It was a touching time, wasn't it?
And now what kind of money do young people get for winning? And then they whine: it’s not enough! Of course, life has changed, but... It’s fun for me to watch new stars. Because from the height of my years, I know how fleeting everything is! Both the euphoria of one’s own importance and the financial rains sometimes end very quickly, and most importantly, unexpectedly. And the person who was expected everywhere five minutes ago suddenly becomes of no use to anyone in the whole world... - Still, I’ll ask about the elusive husband Sergei, who appears with you so infrequently.
It’s a rare case when youthful feelings develop into an enviable marriage! Where do they get these?
I don’t remember that even at a young age I actually dreamed of love. The only things that constantly lived in my head were the triple lutz, triple flip and the European Championship, which was just around the corner. Life outside the sides of the skating rink was interesting insofar as it was. Training - performance, performance - training... The regime was closely monitored by trainers and mentors. There was one funny incident. A friend, a journalist, suggested celebrating my 18th birthday at the Utopia club. But I hadn’t been anywhere, so I looked up to her as if she were a great specialist in hot places Moscow. And now it’s night, dancing, a sequined shirt, heels and I’m 18!
They'll show it on TV later! They were filming some popular TV show, which was also hosted by Otar Kushanashvili. A dream, not a birthday!
We danced until the morning, got excited, and I went to training. Half asleep, I appear at the skating rink with a stupid smile. “Well, Irochka, I see that the birthday was a success...” Zhanna Fedorovna greets me. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes,” I nod happily. - “Get out of here!” I burst into tears, of course. Tragedy! Kicked out! But dancing at discos until the morning, eating cakes, having fun - as my grandmother whispered. Since that memorable birthday, I have only attended banquets at certain championships and still don’t like discos.
Once I fell terribly in love with the figure skater Lesha Urmanov. This arrangement did not make the coaches nervous.
The girl is pining for a colleague, whom she can meet in person mainly as part of the next competition. I kept a photograph of Lesha in the form of a swan, dreaming of being like him, skating just as artistically and easily. As you can imagine, the mentors really liked this too. The feeling, of course, was completely platonic. We lived in different cities. But when I found myself at the same competition with Lesha, I disappeared. I thought: now I’ll be working on the same ice that my idol just skated on... Of course, now we’ve known each other for a long time, I know his Vika and the kids, but that pure childish feeling still lives somewhere in the recesses of my heart . Probably because it is unique.
The circle of my acquaintances was very limited, and not only because there was not enough time for anything else except training.
It's there now social media, parties for every taste, you can exist on any plane, then everything looked very modest. Romance mostly took place under a fire and a guitar fresh air. It was on one of these trips that I met Sergei.
We just arrived with different friends relax with a company outside the city. That day Seryozhka gave me an amazing toy moose. I don’t even remember what we talked about then, but we chatted until the morning. And so we wander through the forest, and I admire the moose that I hold in my arms: “What cool ears he has!” “Well, if these are ears,” my boyfriend laughed, “it’s really time for someone to go to bed.” I was 16 then, and he was 23, and Sergei seemed like just a very respectable man!
I loved it at the time Stuffed Toys. Apparently she didn’t play enough in childhood, and there weren’t enough of them in the USSR. In 1995-1996, all sorts of things appeared, and I had a blast. Sergei was friends with the director of a toy factory, and he had a favorite - a big elephant. So beloved that he barely agreed to part with it, and so huge that Seryozha barely managed to squeeze the elephant into the doorway of my apartment. They just drove it in with their shoulders. They shoved them in and left - they say it was a surprise. Mom and I stand dumbfounded. “Ira, what is this?” - she asks. It all started with this elephant. By the way, he still lives with me. It seems like nothing special, but it was so touching then! Seryozha came to my training, we started going for walks and to the movies.
If you are waiting for some special fairy tale story, then this will not happen. Everything turned out very normally. But this is Serezha’s main advantage - he is a man for whom “a” means exactly “a”, unlike, for example, people in show business - there “a” can mean anything depending on the intonation.
I know that I can always count on his support and understanding.
I remember there was the Russian Championship, I was counting on 2nd place, in the worst case scenario - 3rd. By that time, I already had several high-profile victories, becoming European champion twice. And suddenly - 4th place... That is, I don’t go anywhere further. I got into Serezha’s car, and a kind of numbness fell over me. We're going and going... I only woke up when I realized that we were riding in a circle. “Seryozha, we’ve already passed here,” I say. “Thank God, I woke up,” he laughed and took me home.
I don’t know why the media wrote him down as an athlete, they ask about professional jealousy: they say, you are over there, and he is here... Terrible nonsense. Sergei took up boxing when he was very young, and then earned the title of candidate master. In general, I studied at the department of sports rehabilitation at the university, and he is an excellent massage therapist. He works as a coach in children's groups and enjoys playing hockey in amateur teams. There is a family business.
Indeed, Seryozha rarely appears with me at events, and because of this we are constantly separated. But what if he doesn't want to become public figure, well, he’s uncomfortable! You can’t force a person to do something that he himself frankly hates.
Our wedding was also very ordinary. If I were getting married now, I would change a lot.
I certainly wouldn’t have agreed to those balloons and limousines that were there. I'd probably wear something nice Evening Dress and with my beloved man I just went to the registry office. But now I’m a completely different person, sometimes I’m even scared myself by how much I’ve changed. The circle of acquaintances, interests - everything is different. I remember my parents were perplexed for a long time when I suddenly started reading avidly. And also something philosophical. Everyone wondered what this could mean? Until a certain moment, no one really saw me at home - either on tour or at the championship! And here I am sitting on the sofa, legs tucked up and reading. This is not even growing up, a global reorientation.
- Was 2002 a turning point?
Yes. And not only in the sense of the Olympics. Although after Salt Lake City the only desire was to lie down and do nothing else at all.
First, they unfairly pushed me into second place at the World Championships in Vancouver, then the Olympic scandal... You can, of course, continue to gallop around the windmill with a spear at the ready, but is it necessary?.. Such were the thoughts. Almost apathy. Need not? Yes, I will leave, I will leave!
Then, in 2002, she planned to have a child. It didn't work out. I was very worried about this. And then everything began to collapse, like a sand castle...
The first attacks occurred probably a year before. I was in the USA on tour. And now I’m sitting in a hotel and suddenly realize that I can’t breathe. As if a partition had suddenly grown in the throat. I swallow air like a fish, but I can’t breathe. I was terribly scared.
I didn’t have any inhalers for asthmatics with me, and I didn’t really know what they were. I didn’t even go to the doctor because it went away as suddenly as it started. And one morning I woke up, I wanted to get out of bed, but my leg wouldn’t obey me - I couldn’t even move it! Later my leg swelled and I was sent to Moscow. At first they decided that the problem was in the joint, they gave me an injection, and everything seemed to go away. For some time the disease lay dormant. Of course, I was prescribed anti-asthmatic drugs in inhalers just in case, but my condition was stable.
And in February 2003, my mother almost died in my arms. It was a nightmare. It all happened on the eve of important competitions. My mother often accompanied me on trips. This time we came to St. Petersburg. It’s strange, before races I usually sleep very soundly, even if I could shoot out of a cannon.
And then, in my sleep, I clearly heard a faint knock, like the back of my hand on the partition between the rooms. And for some reason this sound exploded in my head like a bomb... I jumped up and ran to my mother, but she was already unconscious. I screamed terribly. I tried to lift her, to stir her up somehow, not knowing what to do, how to help, where to run... For the first time in my life, death passed so close, looked into my eyes, I almost felt its black breath. In response to my cry for help, the team doctor, Viktor Ivanovich Anikanov, was the first to come running, and he helped my mother. emergency assistance. Then the doctors said: it’s lucky that I was nearby, otherwise they wouldn’t have pulled me out. And still a coma. Clinic. I refused to participate in the championship. What kind of start is there?.. We lived in St. Petersburg for several months. Mom was slowly recovering.
On my first visit home, I realized with horror that absolutely everything rested on my mother. I, and everyone else, simply didn’t know what was where. Couldn't turn it on washing machine because I've never done this! For about five minutes she didn’t even cry, but howled while sitting on the floor. Then I forced myself to get up and begin to master everyday life, hitherto unknown to me. It was at that moment that I felt that from a spoiled child (yes, despite marriage and so on) I had turned into an adult.
Most often, vasculitis, an insidious vascular disease, begins as a consequence of serious stress. As soon as my mother’s condition stabilized, my temperature jumped in August. Asthma progressed. But the truly terrible thing began later. One day I wake up in my country house, I run from the second floor to let the dog out, grab the door handle and - hellish pain in my palm.
I decided: I probably fell on this hand during training and didn’t pay attention. The next time I couldn’t open the door... Not with one hand or the other. A real shock followed when one fine morning I did not recognize my hand - a huge lump swelled up on my forearm. “Lord, Seryozha, what is this?” - I ask. But the husband had no assumptions either. After a couple of hours, the bump turned into a bruise, and then it disappeared. Just miracles in a sieve...
At the next routine examination they say that I just have a huge heart. “Well, I’m an athlete, I train, my heart pumps blood,” I justify myself. But the doctor sent me for an ultrasound, and from there to the Institute of Rheumatology. I jump behind the wheel and drive away. The suspicion of systemic lupus erythematosus, fortunately, was not confirmed.
They are sent to Sklif. I’m about to take the direction and go, but they don’t allow me. “Ambulance”, rolling feet first... I lie there and feel ridiculous - almost everything is fine, I’m a little unwell, and they make me feel like I’m disabled... Besides, it’s September! It's the season! Later they explained that in my condition, walking on foot would be life-threatening, but I also trained. In general, the chances of folding his paws forever at that time were more than real. And here I am lying in the ambulance, listening to the instructions: “Irina, try not to make sudden movements,” and I think: I should call my friends. If anything, at least they will know where to look for me...
We arrived at the emergency department of the Research Institute named after. Sklifosovsky, and there is a terrible horror - everything around is cut, shot, broken.
Compared to the main contingent, I’m generally a cucumber! But they took me to the doctor in a wheelchair. Well, I think we’ll get there now and I’ll tell them everything! They were assigned to the department of the world famous Jacob Brandt. “What is this, doctor?!” A healthy man from training, almost with skates, was packed into a wheelchair!” Yakov Beniaminovich, a big, solid man, calms in a deep voice: “We’ll figure it out, Slutskaya, we’ll figure it out.” “Figure it out!” - I answered not very politely.
There was a complete feeling that I was in some kind of parallel reality! Corridors, gurneys, anesthesia, heart puncture... Well, this is not all about me! This is not about me at all! They are not even allowed to walk. And for me, an enclosed space is worse than a cemetery. In addition, not understanding that with me, being in disheveled feelings, I clung to one thing - something that I was always sure of - I can’t relax, the World Cup is just around the corner.
In the park of the Central Clinical Hospital, where I was sent from Sklif, I do my jumps and run.
Doctors no longer swear, they ask to be “at least a little prudent.” And then Natasha Bestemyanova calls and asks to perform at the birthday party of Igor Anatolyevich Bobrin. But I don’t know what to answer... The diagnoses are supposed to be the most terrible, I run away from the Central Clinical Hospital and just start training. Gradually, of course. Someone might think that I was grinding for money. No! This was truly a tribute to Igor Anatolyevich. Besides, I didn’t know what to grab onto, so I grabbed onto the familiar - the training schedule. Schedule! We need to draw it up and work!
I know what everyone will think of me now: I’m crazy, they say, what don’t these athletes think about themselves! There is probably some truth in this too. Recently, by chance, I have come across a lot of discussions among ordinary people about Zhenya Plushenko. Yes, the situation in Sochi is ambiguous. But you can't understand us! Sometimes it’s really impossible to stop and come to terms with it. You cannot suddenly admit to yourself: “That’s it, this is the end.” And no one, not even those closest and loved ones, have the right to say this. My parents - both Seryozha and my parents - understood this perfectly. That's why they were silent. You cannot take away the meaning of life from a person, even if he has gone crazy!
Here and there tumors, swellings, and bumps appear on the body. But I’m already getting used to this. Periodically, my legs become like an elephant’s and don’t fit into my figure skating boots.
Viktor Anikanov, a wonderful doctor on our team, he’s like a father to me, doesn’t know what to think. It seems that I will never be able to become the same Ira. Swelling appears and seems to disappear on its own. I try to program my body: “Just let me perform, and then swell as much as you want.”
And then, on another beautiful morning, a bruise appears on my leg, but that’s not so bad. The trouble is that half of it I don’t feel, the other half is as wide as my head. I can't get up anymore. My husband and Viktor Ivanovich are dragging me with four hands to the greatest specialist in the world on vasculitis - Dr. Krivosheev. This diagnosis, very rare at that time, periodically sounds like an assumption from the lips of a variety of specialists and in the end seems to be the most likely.
“Oh,” says Krivosheev, “my client! Take ten prednisolone tablets.” "How? You won’t even do examinations?” - I was amazed. I’m 23 years old, I’m an athlete - and hormones... “Come on, eat. I already see everything.” I had the “joy” to observe what happens to people on hormone therapy. From one pill, it happens that they no longer get through the doorway, but then ten... The doctor said that I had arrived on time - a couple more days, and my leg would have hung like a whip. My diagnosis is a life sentence; I am incurable. Remission is already a gift. Minimum doses of hormones are already a success. And this is forever. “We’ll have to come to terms,” Krivosheev persuaded.
I remember one of my first questions was: “Will I be able to have children?” “Well...” answered the doctor after a moment of confusion, through whom hundreds of patients have passed.
I gave birth to one.” You see, out of hundreds, one! It was a low blow.
They offered to apply for disability. But I refused. Because that would mean admitting to herself - that's it.
When I die, I will definitely go to heaven. Because I've already been to hell. “Why do I need this?” - I asked into the void and could not find an answer. So many years, such goals, and everything went to waste! It is also unclear whether there will be children. And she cried, of course, and became hysterical. A huge thank you to my family for being able to bear me during that period. It must have been very difficult. It seemed that there was a wide river between me and the rest of humanity, and from there they shouted to me: “Hey there, on the other bank, hold on!” - but I can’t cross over to them and be like everyone else. And loved ones know this.
I was the only one who didn’t understand how I could continue to live with this...
After starting therapy, I began to look like that same dandelion with thin legs. The already not narrow face was torn apart like a festive dish. I was afraid to look in the mirror... Anikanov and Gromova did not leave my side, my family was always in a state of heightened readiness - to rush, rush, save. I remember my husband saying: “Stop crying already, you’re ruining your nerves.” And I exploded: “You don’t understand, do you?!” Not only can I turn into an elephant, tomorrow my mustache will easily grow!” “Well, what can we do, we’ll have to shave together,” Seryozha answered calmly, and I realized that I wanted to smile. For the first time in weeks, just smile.
She ordered herself: “That’s it, Slutskaya, that’s enough! You cannot twist ropes from loved ones. How do people live without arms and legs?
They are fighting. So you fight!”
I was very lucky to get to see such a doctor as Oleg Gennadievich, he took care of me to the maximum. I'm off to some gentle training. I jump on my weak legs. Krivosheev says: “Let it be that you have a sense, but sometimes it works much better.” better than any medical therapy." I forced myself to skate and stopped eating. And with hormones, I’ll tell you, I don’t even want to eat, but eat a lot and constantly! After a bowl of porridge on the water, I felt half-fainting. Hellish hunger, but I held on. I'm training. Prudent...
At first I went out on the ice for 5-10-15 minutes. Then she completely restored her usual time. I started taking fewer pills. And... I went to the Figure Skating Federation to apply for the World Championships.
“Are you completely, or what?” - they were amazed there. But I continued to insist. Whole delegations of different bosses came to my training every day, assessed what I could do, arranged test skates... And in the end they came up with the words: “You understand that this will be the end of your career?” “No,” I answer. - “Well, you’re stupid, go.” At that championship I finished ninth. “Are you full? Have you had enough? - they ask. - "No!"
I'm in the public eye again. She lost a lot of weight, but her face remained plate-shaped. Newspapers and anonymous readers excitedly discuss my appearance on various sites. They write: “Not the same Slutskaya, not the same, she’s gone crazy.” It’s a shame - I can’t describe how, because... It’s just a shame!
The 2005 season begins. Oleg Gennadievich and I decide to take a risk and again reduce the amount of hormonal support. A stack of papers is sent to the ISU disciplinary commission, stating that these kilograms of medicine are vitally necessary for me, otherwise they may be accused of doping. The World Championships are being hosted by Moscow. I skated pretty smoothly in qualifying. I go to the short program and almost fall from the first cascade. But nothing, I resisted. My old rival, American Sasha Cohen, is going to first place... The warm-up has passed. My beautiful trainer is all white with red spots. I'm shaking. They announce. Zhanna Fedorovna takes me by the hands and says: “Irka, are you really going to give the medal to an American woman at home, in Moscow?!” How I rode! None of the Russian girls have yet repeated that program of mine - purely, with all the jumps completed and the spins completed.
I competed last in the last warm-up on the last day of the competition - and became the first! That year I won everything there was to win.
In 2006 I’m going to the Olympics in Turin. I can’t show perfect skating, I’m wrong, but the bronze is ours!
At the beginning of 2007 I found out that I was expecting a child. In the middle of pregnancy, the disease reared its head a little. But the eternal (as it seemed then) magician and magician Krivosheev controlled everything and correctly calculated the support. Artem and I were born. I was completely and completely happy.
To finally close the topic of illness, I’ll get ahead of myself a little. Death, as it seemed to me, had retreated, alas, continued to wander nearby.
Oleg Gennadyevich Krivosheev - the best specialist in vasculitis in the world, a doctor from God, my guardian angel - could not help himself. He was a little over forty when he actually died from what he so talentedly saved others from... For me it was a heavy blow. Now his student Pavel Novikov is helping me.
After Turin I immediately went on tour. I just returned and was invited to appear on television, to an ice show. A completely different life fell on my head, which I had never seen or known before. I thought it was like in sports: set a goal and go towards it! It turned out that I didn’t understand a lot, and, alas, not everything can be learned on the fly. Often my husband would retort: “Ir, why are you walking like a tank? This is not a gold medal..."
Show business people are different. There is so little real there! All the time one must exist in certain proposed circumstances.
Some people adapt, others are like fish out of water, but for me it’s still a bit difficult. Although, it would seem, I love to dress up and go out into the world. "Stars on Ice" and " glacial period"became just a kind of synthesis of sports and show business...
- What a synthesis: everyone had scandals, had affairs, got divorced! Khabensky was assigned to you...
Kostya is a golden man! How can this not be attributed? The only upsetting thing was that the yellow press had gone wild, almost daily releasing more and more details of our non-existent romance. And Kostya and I, for a moment, have families. And while Khabensky’s relatives were probably accustomed to reacting correctly to such “publications,” mine were upset.
For Serezha’s parents, this aspect of publicity was new.
- Wait, wait, I already realized that your husband is a saint. How did you meet the “golden man”?
By SMS. Just don't laugh! Khabensky sent a message after the 2006 Olympics in Turin. Like, congratulations, although it’s a shame that it’s bronze. And Katya Guseva gave him my phone number; at that time they were filming together in the film “Rush Hour”. We actually corresponded for a while. Why not? Kostya is a very well-read, educated, cultured person, and I liked communicating with him. Then he invited me to his performance, I, of course, went, as I just began to be actively interested in the “outside” world.
I burst like a dam - I didn’t miss interesting premieres, participated in events, and started studying. Khabensky became my guide to the world of theater.
Unfortunately, people rarely understand friendship between a man and a woman; they tend to invent more. And we really just communicate, and to this day. He invites me to his performances, I invite him to his shows, and Kostya and his mother. By the way, I also write an SMS to Tatyana Gennadievna, congratulating her on the holidays. In general, I have many male acquaintances, and if everyone is attributed to me as a lover, I’m afraid everything will become completely sad.
In the case of Khabensky, I was “replaced” by Liza Boyarskaya, who also managed to appear somewhere with him, and the visionary journalists turned to her.
And they began to select other worthy gentlemen to pair with me.
- Ira, but you chose the path of publicity yourself. And this is fraught not only with love...
But you can’t, for example, insult a person simply because he’s famous! Listen, there were plenty of ill-wishers in sports too. But their actions were still limited to sports. After the same Salt Lake City, most of the people, of course, supported and said: “They condemned me.” But even then those who muttered through clenched teeth began to appear: “Why did they sue? Just as I dashed off, I got it!” This upset me due to my age and stupid tendency to get hung up on people who are actually unnecessary with unnecessary opinions.
In the “new” life, it quickly became clear that there used to be flowers. Now everyone will be discussed: husband, love, appearance - that is, what, by definition, strangers should not care about! Comrades especially like to go through these topics “incognito” - with gusto, arrangement, and different words. Out of habit, I actually sometimes reacted harshly. It seemed that I had to answer somehow, because it’s not true! And at the same time, you won’t explain to every “compliment” in the style of “the cow itself” that you, damn it, almost gave your soul to God, and didn’t consume boxes of cakes after six in the evening?! I didn’t really understand how to behave, in general... Have you noticed how much negativity there is in the world? The air is simply saturated with it! And I will never get used to this, never!
Another side of the “new existence” is that there are many random people nearby, so-called friends, for whom at a certain moment it was simply beneficial to be nearby. They appeared as if in contrast to those beautiful and interesting ones, like Kostya Khabensky... What were the men worth who, in an attempt to hit, whispered: “You should invest there. Just give me your name and we'll make millions. Beauty salon “Slutskaya” is a win-win..." Oh! It's sickening to even remember.
One seemingly decent person invites me to a restaurant for a business conversation. At first I tried to listen to all the suggestions! And here a man sits in an expensive suit and says: “You invest 10 million, we call it by your last name...” I don’t want to say names, so let it be Vasya.
I ask: “I give a name, invest funds, and what will you do, Vasya?” - “And I will manage it all with talent!” - "All clear. Well, then I’ll go... count.” He didn't even call again. And there were many of them! After it became clear that it was difficult to hit on me, and I didn’t need business on dubious terms at all, the “admirers” disappeared into thin air. They probably went in search of new objects of love and to apply their own business acumen.
- In 2011, you somehow disappeared again. Were you really sick again?
My life, as I thought, had firmly settled into its rut. I gave birth to my second child - the angel Varenka. But it turned out that the Almighty has his own plans for this. He probably thought: “Somehow Slutskaya has begun to live too calmly, she’ll turn bronze again...
Let me shake you!”
This time he decided to take my job away. That is, completely. I sat for two years without any offers. I was excluded from the tour because at first I was pregnant, and then somehow they decided not to resume it. They weren’t invited to host the show, although the experience on the two central TV buttons seemed to be quite good. And thanks to Channel One, the skills were acquired in special courses. Plus I really enjoyed doing it! And I wasn’t invited anywhere at all, either as a presenter or as a participant.
And all the old acquaintances seemed to be there and even said: “Ira, we are preparing such projects for you, you can’t even imagine!” Or: “Yes, in the fall we will offer you so much that you won’t have enough time!
You will be a star, just live in a box! You will earn millions." And again silence. And now spring was already coming, and I had no projects, no millions, no people who drew plans for beautiful castles in front of you... They evaporated.
It felt like everyone had simply forgotten about me. As once in America, the Figure Skating Federation angrily reflected for about five minutes on the cameras - they say, we won’t allow it, we will protest, and then... You never know how many talented girls we have in figure skating! There are not enough hands to look after everyone!
And it would seem, sit with the children, take care of the house, relax. No one discusses the size of your waist, the men with whom you had coffee... But, apparently, I am a contradictory person.
I admit, major success is poisonous. Is it true. “Olympic Games medalist, the world’s only seven-time European champion in women’s single skating, two-time world champion Irina Slutskaya!” - and the stands explode with applause. After something like this, it’s incredibly difficult to remain in a vacuum. And it’s not clear how, with all these titles, regalia and victories, one can even end up without a job?
We did not need money to live; after all, I am a married woman and Sergei is quite a breadwinner. But the lack of my separate employment was simply freezing. It broke me the way it probably breaks drug addicts who haven’t received their dose. I cooked borscht, raised children, planted a forest of apple and pear trees and... went crazy. You see, for a person who was constantly on the move, moving towards a goal, to fall into the “four walls” and lose self-realization is very scary.
I felt that just a little more and there would be real depression. In addition, due to a number of circumstances, I broke up with the director, with whom I had collaborated for many years, and said goodbye to the children’s nanny... Total: no work, no director, no nanny... Complete chocolate!
And so, like many years ago, my mother and I sat down in the kitchen. “What are we going to do, Ira?” - she asks. “Live, mom,” I answer, “just live.”
After all my misadventures and adventures, I seem to have understood the main thing: the most valuable thing in life is life itself. No victories and medals, no popularity and mentions in newspapers, no money, big or small... But a life for which I have something to be grateful for. For teaching wisdom, including protecting her from a certain number of people.
They would have muddled my brains and would have led me down a path completely different from the one on which I now exist with such pleasure.
Of course, everything worked out. I’m working on Channel One again and riding a lot, shows and tours are tearing me apart again. The ice doesn't let go yet! So it's not time yet. By the way, I also plant apple trees and blueberries, but I have learned to do it calmly and with love.
Thank you to the Baltschug Kempinski Moscow Hotel for your help in organizing the shooting.
Irina Eduardovna Slutskaya
Born on February 9, 1979 in Moscow in the family of an engineer and teacher. Honored Master of Sports (figure skating, single skating), four-time Russian champion, seven-time European champion, two-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist. In 2000 she graduated from the Russian State Academy of Physical Culture (RGAFK).
She was awarded the Order of Friendship (2003) for her great contribution to the development of physical culture and sports and high sporting achievements at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. In 2007, by Decree of the President of Russia, Irina Slutskaya was awarded the Order of Honor. Winner of the “Eurosport Sport Star Awards-2006” in the nomination “Best Athlete of the Year”, “Crystal Ice-2008” in the nomination “People’s Love”, “Golden Skate Awards-2009”, a special prize “For a successful start in a new profession” of the festival- sports journalism competition “Energy of Victory-2011”, “Non-Blonde of the Year-2012” award, ambassador of “Sochi-2014”.
Married, husband - Sergey Mikheev, children's coach. In November 2007 Irina had a son, Artyom, in October 2010. - daughter of Varvara.
Hobby: snowboarding. She used to collect soft toys, but now she continues to collect elephants.
As a child, Ira was often sick, and at the age of four, her mother took her to the figure skating section in sports club"Sokolniki". At the age of six, Zhanna Fedorovna Gromova became her permanent coach.
Under Gromova's leadership, Ira began to progress rapidly. In 1993, she joined the national team, won the Russian junior championship and became third at the junior world championship. In 1995, Irina won the first significant title in her career: she became the world junior champion. In the same year, she made her debut at the adult European Championships, where she finished fifth, and the World Championships, where she took 7th place.
Real fame came to her in 1996, when 16-year-old Ira won the European Championships for the first time in Sofia (she became the first Russian woman to win this title), as well as a bronze medal at the World Championships. The next season she again became the strongest on the continent. In total, Irina became the European champion seven times (in 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006), which is a world record.
In 1998, Irina took part in her first Olympic Games in Nagano, where she took fifth place. A month later in Minneapolis she became the silver medalist at the World Championships.
The 1998-1999 season was one of the most unsuccessful in my career for Irina Slutskaya. After finishing fourth at the Russian Championships, she did not make the national team and missed the European and World Championships. In August 1999, Irina got married.
The following season, she again returned to a leading position in world figure skating. Slutskaya won the Russian and European championships, took first place in the Grand Prix final, and became second at the World Championships, losing only to American Michelle Kwan. In the 1999-2000 season, Irina Slutskaya became the first woman who managed to perform the triple lutz-triple loop cascade cleanly at official competitions.
In 2001, the Russian figure skater again became the European champion and silver medalist at the World Championships. At the world championship, Slutskaya became the first figure skater to perform a 3-3-2 cascade.
In 2002, Irina Slutskaya went to the second Olympic Games in her life in Salt Lake City as one of the favorites. In the free program, she lost to the American Sarah Hughes, losing to her by one judge's vote, and eventually became second, and a month later Slutskaya won the World Championships in Nagano for the first time in her career.
In March 2002, Irina Slutskaya was awarded the gold medal “For an Honest Victory,” which was specially ordered for her by the Ural politician and businessman Anton Bakov. The weight of the award is about a kilogram, but, unlike the Olympic gold medal, the medal is entirely made of 750-carat gold.
The next two seasons became some of the most dramatic in Irina’s career. Having won the European Championship in 2003 and won silver in the Grand Prix final, Ira missed the World Championship due to a serious illness of her mother, and then the athlete herself began to have health problems. After long consultations, doctors diagnosed the skater with vascular disease. Doctors forbade Slutskaya to go on the ice, but this only encouraged the athlete, contrary to all the doctors’ predictions, to continue her sports career. As soon as Irina was able to train again, she returned to big-time sports and went to the 2004 World Championships in Dortmund. Irina took ninth place there, but already in the next season she completely restored her leading position in figure skating.
She won stages and the Grand Prix final, Russian and European championships, but the most memorable thing in her career was her victory at the 2005 World Championships in Moscow. The world championship was already assessed by new system: "Sixes" were cancelled. Slutskaya showed an ideal, in her own words, free program, received very high marks and won with big advantage. Apart from Irina Slutskaya, not a single Russian figure skater has yet managed to win the title of world champion twice.
In 2006, Irina Slutskaya won the European Championship for the seventh time in her career, breaking the record of figure skaters Katarina Witt and Sonya Henie. At the Winter Olympics in Turin, in a dramatic struggle, Irina won a bronze medal, thereby becoming the only Russian figure skater to win two Olympic medals.
After this, Irina Slutskaya no longer entered amateur competitive ice, but continues to delight her fans with performances in ice shows. On October 5, 2012, after a long break, the World Professional Figure Skating Championships took place in Japan, where Irina won a bronze medal.
Irina also tries her hand at cinema, theater and television. In 2004, she studied at the Ostankino Television School for several months.
Irina Slutskaya - host of the show “Stars on Ice” (2006), “Ice Age” (2007, 2009), “Ice Age. Professional Cup" (2012) and "Ice Age 2013" on Channel One. In the fall of 2008, Irina took part in this project as a participant paired with Gediminas Taranda, and also tried herself as a pilot in the show “First Squadron”.
In the fall of 2007, the film “Three and a Snowflake” was released, where Irina starred in an episode. In 2008, she was assigned a small role in the series “Hot Ice” (coach Anastasia Ivanova).
On April 7, 2008, her theatrical debut took place at the Theater Center “On Strastnoy”: Irina played Antigone in the play “Antigone - Vsegda” by the International Theater Laboratory Nika Kosenkova. In 2009-2011 Slutskaya played Ariana Clarence in the play “A Good Deal” (in the first season - “Love in French”) produced by the Panorama production center based on the play “Blaise” by Claude Magnier, which premiered on April 1, 2009.
On December 25, 2009, the premiere of the video for the song “New Year’s” took place, which Irina sang in a duet with Sergei Kristovsky (member of the group Uma2rmaH); in March 2011, the song “Sochi” premiered as a duet with Asherali.
In April 2011, during the World Figure Skating Championships held in Moscow, Irina Slutskaya acted as a commentator for these competitions on TV. Since October 2011
And there is still a lot of interesting things ahead...
Irina Eduardovna Slutskaya is a renowned singles figure skater, winner of many sporting achievements, including two Olympic medals and 7 world champion titles. Seven times she took the highest step of the podium at the strongest European championships, four times in the Grand Prix finals.After leaving big sport in 2006, she became a TV presenter of sports news, a participant and presenter of popular television ice shows and television projects (“Winx on Ice”, “The Magic World of Sports”, “Ice Age”), and was elected as a deputy of the Moscow regional Duma from the United Russia party, entered the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Childhood
One of the most titled “singles” athletes in the history of Russian sports was born on February 9, 1979 in Moscow. Her father worked as a teacher at an automobile technical school, her mother was an engineer at an automobile plant. 
She first stepped on the ice at the age of 4, when her family sent her to the Sokolniki sports club to strengthen her health. A year later, she allegedly herself decided to move to the Moskvich sports school, where Zhanna Gromova became her mentor, under whose guidance she then trained throughout her sports life, demonstrating performance programs of stunning complexity and beauty.
In addition, as the athlete recalled, she was able to convince her parents, who were at work all day, to allow her not to attend kindergarten– for more rational distribution time for training and thereby increasing her athletic performance. She was such an independent child that one day she even figured out how to prepare lunch for herself in the absence of her relatives - she took it from freezer put the sausage in the refrigerator and warmed it up on the radiator.
Sports career
At the beginning of her career, coaches doubted the girl’s prospects, considering her unplastic and unartistic. Having matured and honed her performance technique, she acquired a charming femininity and since then has demonstrated on the ice arenas not only the ease of performing incredibly complex spins, individual jumps and cascades, but also the highest artistic component. 
She won her first victory, which became the start of a brilliant career, when she was only 8 years old. From that moment on, she had to adhere even more strictly to the principles proper nutrition and a regime that involves getting up early and training twice a day, as well as accepting the absolute lack of free time.
It is worth noting that in her busy training life there was a period when she managed to practice ballet and attend music school. Since childhood, she has combined everything necessary for victories - perseverance and patience, responsibility and self-confidence, hard work, discipline and strong nerves.
In 1993, the young athlete won the Nebelhorn Trophy tournament, in 1994 she was third at the Junior World Championships, and in 1995 she was already first. In the same season, she earned bronze at the Russian Championships, 5th place in the competition of the strongest skaters of European countries and 7th at the World Championships. In 1996, she took the second, first and third steps of these tournaments, respectively.
1993: young Irina Slutskaya at the Nebelhorn Trophy tournament
Subsequently, the national sports star repeatedly won the title of the strongest figure skater in Europe and the world, taking prize positions at prestigious international figure skating forums. So, at the 1998 Olympics in Japan she took fifth place, in the world champion tournament and at the Universiade in January 1999 she earned silver.
In 2000, the girl retained second place at the World Championships and was the winner in a difficult fight at the European and Russian Championships, as well as in the Grand Prix final. During the same period, she received a higher specialized education, graduating from the Moscow Academy of Physical Education.
The figure skater, who brought her sport as close as possible to art, in 2002 won gold at the World Championships and a silver award at the Olympics in the USA.
2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Irina Slutskaya
After a serious vascular disease, with incredible difficulty she managed to recover and win the battle for the highest award at the World Championships in 2005 and the European Championships in 2006, as well as win bronze at the Olympics in Italy.
Irina Slutskaya's last Olympic performance (2006)
In November of the same year, the figure skater, who by that time had 40 gold, 21 silver and 18 bronze awards, announced her decision to leave the sport.
Activities outside of sports
The athlete was able to successfully adapt to new living conditions. She did not want to engage in coaching, but she realized herself on TV as a columnist, presenter and artist. 
She was a co-host of Evgeni Plushenko on the TV show “Stars on Ice”, Marat Basharov on “Ice Age”, Anastasia Zavorotnyuk in the third season of the same show, Alexey Yagudin in the TV project “Ice Age. Professional Cup” also appeared on its ice as a participant in the project.
Fans of the sports star could see her in the television series “Hot Ice,” in the romantic comedy “Three Men and a Snowflake,” and in the production “A Good Deal” imbued with subtle humor.
The famous athlete became a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, received the status of Ambassador of the XXII Olympics in Sochi, headed the Voluntary Physical Education Union, and opened two figure skating schools (in Ivanovo and Podolsk).
Personal life of Irina Slutskaya
The famous athlete is married to Sergei Mikheev. He is a former boxer who, after finishing his career, devoted himself to coaching children. 
They met during a trip out of town in the company of mutual friends. In 1999, after a period of round-the-clock phone calls and a beautiful courtship with flowers and gifts, they got married.
In 2016, their marriage was allegedly on the verge of breaking down. In the media, the figure skater was credited with having an affair with the managing director of one of the large companies Andrei Novoselov, with actor Konstantin Khabensky, with the general director of the Voluntary Physical Education Union Alexei Tikhomirov, with whom she appeared at social events. Fortunately, the couple are still together and continue to raise their two children - Artem, who was born a year after Irina left the sport, and Varya, who is 3 years younger.
According to the athlete, who was called a rare example of intelligence in sports, she swears in the car if someone nearby makes a dangerous maneuver.
Irina Slutskaya today
In September 2016, the legendary figure skater was elected as a deputy of the Moscow Regional Duma from the United Russia party. 
Demonstrating an active life position, in January 2017 she took the initiative to create a physical therapy department at the Yakut clinic. Her proposal was discussed and supported during round table with representatives of the Ministry of Health of the Republic.
In February, she visited Vologda to participate in the Healthy Cities forum and the Interregional Conference on Disease Prevention, where she emphasized that the most the best remedy prevention and formation of a healthy lifestyle, in her opinion, is sport.
There are many people in the world who are interested in sports, and there are even more people who like to watch it. But how many people are interested in winter sports? In particular, figure skating. It is in this sport that our country shows top scores in the world. Evgeni Plushenko, Alexey Yagudin, Maxim Marinin, Tatyana Navka, Tatyana Totmyanina, Yulia Lipnitskaya, Adelina Sotnikova, the names can be listed forever, but today in the article we will talk about the famous Russian figure skater Irina Slutskaya. Let's look at her biography, achievements in professional sports, etc.
Brief biography of Irina Slutskaya
Irina Eduardovna Slutskaya was born on February 9, 1979 in the capital Russian Federation- the city of Moscow. Irina’s mother became the initiator of Irina’s sports activities. After finishing her career, she found herself on television as the host of such a program as “Ice Age”. On this moment, the world-famous figure skater takes care of children and keeps the family hearth.
Childhood
As is known from the biography of Irina Slutskaya, the young athlete often got sick and caught colds. It was with the goal of strengthening her immunity that her mother sent her to sports.
Irina was four years old when she first stepped on the ice. The patroness and main person in this difficult sport was the famous USSR coach Zhanna Gromova. In addition to figure skating, Slutskaya studied at music and ballet schools.
The talent was visible from childhood. Proof of this is that at the age of fourteen she entered the country’s youth team. And then there was the first, truly significant victory at the Russian youth championship. Later, when Irina and her coach realized that they had no competition at the junior level, they tried to conquer adult competitions. It's worth saying that it's not that bad. The European Championship ended in fifth place, and the more prestigious and important World Championship ended in seventh place.
Blooming adult career
Irina Slutskaya’s first truly significant sporting achievement was the gold of the 1996 European Championship. It is worth noting that at that time she was only 16 years old. She became the first Russian figure skater to conquer Old light. But then no one knew or even imagined that the talented Irina would love this tournament so much that her name would be written seven times in the history of the winners’ chronicle. This was a colossal achievement and is still considered an unbroken record.
Nagano 1998
The year 1998 was marked by the fact that figure skater Irina Slutskaya performed at the Olympics in Nagano for the first time in her professional career and took an honorable fifth place. It seemed possible to rehabilitate herself for such an offensive loss a month later at the World Championships in Minneapolis, where she won a silver medal.
Unsuccessful period 1998-99
In the biography of Irina Slutskaya, these years are considered the most disastrous season. Then there was a sharp decline in his career, and it seemed that this was the end. At the national championship, Irina was the undisputed favorite. Among the participants at that time she had no equal. But when the results were summed up, to great surprise and to some extent disappointment, it turned out that Irina took only fourth place. As a result, the strict rules for selecting participants by the sports committee were a blow. She did not qualify for either her favorite European Championship or the World Championship.
This defeat was a blow to the athlete’s reputation. But throwing the professional jungle aside, Slutskaya took a break for a while, and during this short break she managed to get married. Thus, the competition and Irina Slutskaya were on opposite sides of the barricades.
Return to sports
After an unexpected break, the athlete found the strength to return to big-time sports. Irina Slutskaya’s newly-made husband picked up a sufficient amount of motivation and helped her return to her professional career. And it immediately became clear who is currently the leader of world skating. The first barrier was winning the Russian and then European championships. At the World Championships she suffered a disappointing defeat from the American Michelle Kwan, with a difference of only one point, and as a result became second.
She became the first to perform the triple lutz-triple loop cascade. It is this element that is the sporting achievement of Irina Slutskaya, as the athlete herself has repeatedly mentioned.
A year later, she shocked the figure skating world by successfully performing a 3-3-2 cascade at the world championships, but ultimately finishing in second place. The same year marks the next victory of figure skater Irina Slutskaya at the European Championships.
Olympics in Salt Lake City
For the already famous figure skater, but still a young girl, this was the second Winter Olympics. Going to Canada, Irina was the undisputed favorite in the fight for gold medals. But the eternal curse of “one judge’s point” played a role cruel joke this time too. Only now the rival who managed to beat Slutskaya was the American Sarah Hughes.
It is worth highlighting the moral and strong-willed qualities of this athlete. After all, a month later, taking to the ice of the once Olympic Nagano, she won a top medal at the World Championships for the first time in her career. Not many athletes even return to the world of sports after such disappointing losses, but our compatriot showed the full strength of the Russian spirit.
In order to somehow console the figure skater, a well-known Ural businessman ordered a medal made of pure gold of the 750th standard, which was dubbed the “Medal for an Honest Victory.” After all, many believed that Irina was simply condemned in the finals of the Olympic Games. The award weighs one kilogram, and unlike the Olympic medal, it was cast entirely from gold.
“The Years of Great Troubles” - for Irina Slutskaya
After successful performances in Salt Lake City and Nagano, as well as winning gold at the European tournament and silver at the Grand Prix final in 2003, she was forced to miss the World Championships due to family problems. The fact is that Irina’s mother was seriously ill. But then the athlete herself began to suffer from illnesses. Doctors diagnosed severe vascular disease. It was decided to suspend her not only from competition, but also from any attempts to go on the ice.
Contrary to all forecasts, the then five-time European champion and world championship winner had no doubt that she would return to the ice and show the level of skating that would make people “go crazy” again.
"Second coming"
As promised, she returned to the sport. But we all understand that after suffering injuries, both physical and moral, we should not expect crazy results from anyone. And the fact that Irina Slutskaya returned to the ice meant a victory of sorts.
In 2004, at the World Championships in Dortmund, she became only ninth, but having regained her former form, the next season Ira became the one everyone knew.
The Grand Prix Final, the Russian and European Championships, the victory at the World Championships in Moscow in 2005, Irina Slutskaya won all these competitions with a confident lead over her rivals. By the way, for the first time at the Moscow World Championship, the evaluation system in the form of the familiar “sixes” was abolished. She went down in history as the only Russian figure skater to win the world championship twice.
The seventh successful and final European Championship for the figure skater took place in the 2006 Olympic year. Having broken the records of famous athletes - Katharina Witt and Sonya Henie - Irina became the only one who conquered Europe seven times.
As the figure skater said, the Olympics in Turin, Italy were her last and that she wanted to devote herself fully to her family. Her career ended with a final and brilliant chord. Third place and the first figure skating athlete from Russia to win two Olympic medals.
Post-sports activities
After completing a truly bright sports career, Irina Slutskaya did not go into the shadows, but found her calling on television.
In September 2006, she became the host of one of the most popular programs of that time, “Stars on Ice,” which was broadcast on Channel One. In 2007 and 2009, she was appointed host of Ice Age. And in the fall of 2008, Irina herself took part in the project, paired with ballet dancer Gediminas Taranda. In 2012 and 2013, she held the position of host of the television programs “Ice Age. Professional Cup" and "Ice Age - 2013". As we see, even after the end of her career, her work was closely connected with her life’s work - figure skating. As a change, Slutskaya took part in the show “First Squadron” as an airplane pilot.
Like all former famous athletes, Irina Slutskaya tried herself in both theater and cinema. In 2007, the film “Three and a Snowflake” was released, where Irina starred in several episodes. And in 2008, a Russian series called “Hot Ice” appeared on television screens, where she played the role of a coach (Anastasia Ivanova).
Her theatrical debut took place on April 7, 2008, when she played Antigone in the production of “Antigone - Vsegda” by Nika Kosenkova. From 2009 to 2011, she played the character Ariana Clarence in the play “A Good Deal.” Since 2011, she has been a TV presenter of sports news on Channel One and, by invitation, a sports commentator.
In April 2011, Irina received ambassador status olympic games in Sochi-2014.
Irina's family
As mentioned earlier, in August 1999, the skater married Sergei Mikheev. Irina Slutskaya’s husband is a children’s coach.
On November 15, 2007, son Artem was born, who became the first-born in the star family. Three years later, on October 21, 2010, daughter Varvara was born. It is known that the children of Irina Slutskaya also chose the elements of “blade and ice”. The son is currently playing hockey, and the daughter, following in her mother’s footsteps, wants to become a famous figure skater.
We hope that this article will help you learn more about the biography of Irina Slutskaya. “A world-famous figure skater” - this is how she will be remembered by all sports fans.