After a controversial life of figure skating greatness, Tonya Harding now lives a quiet life with her loving husband and son.
The former American figure skater rose to fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
In 1991, at the US Figure Skating Championships in Minnesota, she became the first American woman to land a triple Axel in competition successfully.
She is a 2X US Champion, 2X Olympian, and 2X Skate America Champion.
However, the most infamous moment of her career remains the 1994 scandal involving an attack on her skating rival, Nancy Kerrigan.
Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, orchestrated the baton attack, which resulted in Harding’s lifetime ban from competitive figure skating.
Tonya and Jeff were married from 1990 to 1993. Despite the divorce, they had an on-and-off relationship until the attack.
In 1995, she married Michael Smith, but their marriage was short-lived, ending in divorce just a year later in 1996.
Tonya is currently married to Joseph Jens Price, a heating and air-conditioning installation technician.
Tonya and Joseph met in 2010 at a karaoke bar, where Joseph was signing “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis.
Tonya was immediately drawn to him, particularly his eyes. In an interview with the New York Times, she said of their initial encounter,
I mean the eyes are the center to your soul, O.K.? You might have a nice butt, but I want to see the eyes.
Via NEW YORK TIMES
They quickly fell in love, and Tonya proposed to Joseph a few weeks later.
Shortly after their low-key wedding, she became pregnant with their son, Gordon Price, born in 2011.
The couple lives a quiet life together in Vancouver, Washington, away from the public eye.
Tonya is active on Instagram and occasionally posts glimpses from her familial life mixed in with patriotic and motivational quotes.
In preparation for the 2017 release of her biopic, “I, Tonya,” Inside Edition looked back at a 2012 interview where she shared her new life with Joseph.
In the interview, Joseph said,
She’s kind, she loving, she’s a little rough around the edges. She’s a redneck, but she’s my redneck.
INSIDE EDITION
Embracing her new life as a mom with open arms, Tonya called her son “the most wonderful thing in the world,” and said that she couldn’t imagine her world without him.
Tonya’s present life as a loving wife and mother is blissful, but the same cannot be said of her first relationship and marriage with the disgraced Jeff Gillooly.
Tonya was 15 when she first met 17-year-old Jeff in 1986.
Having suffered through a turbulent life at home with an emotionally and physically abusive mother, Tonya moved in with her Jeff in 1988.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Tonya recalled that her half-brother, Chris Davison, aged 26 at the time, came home drunk and tried to s*xually assault her on the night of her first date with Jeff.
When Tonya was finally able to escape her broken family, Jeff worked distribution at the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and was able to support both of them.
The pair married on March 18, 1990. Tonya was 19 at the time, while Jeff was 22.
In a 1992 interview with The Oregonian, Tonya said,
Jeff always put food on the table and a roof over my head. He paid for my skating for a couple of years. If it hadn’t been for him during that time, I wouldn’t have been skating.
Via WIKIPEDIA
However, Gillooly was far from a faultless angelic savior for Tonya.
Tonya’s mother, LaVona Fay Golden, recalled in an interview,
I knew Jeff had a violent streak. Once when Tonya was living with me and my new husband, he tried to break down the door because he thought she had gone out with another boy.
Via allthatsinteresting.com
In June 1993, Tonya filed for divorce. She subsequently filed for a restraining order against the ex-husband.
She wrote,
He wrenched my arm and wrist and he pulled my hair and shoved me. I recently found out he bought a shotgun, and I am scared for my safety.
Via allthatsinteresting.com
However, in a shocking announcement, Tonya revealed that she and Jeff were getting back together.
She had continued seeing him since October 1993 and had started living together again until January 18, 1994.
In 1994, Tonya was a rising star in figure skating. She and fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan were fighting for an open spot in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway.
The spot would reward Harding with over $1 million in endorsements and appearance fees.
To ensure that his ex-wife would win that money, Jeff devised a plan to make sure Kerrigan would not get that spot.
After considering multiple options, including a car crash and a straight-up assassination, the masterminds, which included Jeff Gillooly, Shane Stant, Derrick Smith, and Harding’s bodyguard Shawn Eckardt, settled with the plan to break her knees with an iron bar.
On January 6, 1994, after a practice session at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Kerrigan was walking down a corridor when Shane Stant attacked her.
Stant struck her on the lower right thigh with a telescopic baton, intending to break her leg.
Kerrigan’s leg was severely bruised but not broken, forcing her to withdraw from the U.S. Championships.
Footage of Kerrigan sitting on the floor, clutching her knee and crying, “Why? Why?” became one of the most memorable images in sports history.
The incident dominated the news cycle in 1994 and was covered extensively by national and international news outlets.
30 Years Ago Today: Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the leg.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 6, 2024
Four men, including the ex-husband of Kerrigan’s rival, Tonya Harding, go to prison.
Kerrigan goes on to win silver at the Olympics. Harding is eventually banned for life by US Figure Skating.pic.twitter.com/JF2DfCca2r
Within days, Eckardt confessed to the FBI, implicating himself, Gillooly, and Stant in the attack.
Gillooly cooperated with authorities as the investigation unfolded, providing information that implicated Harding.
Harding denied any prior knowledge of the attack.
She maintained that she only learned of her ex-husband’s involvement after the fact and claimed she didn’t report it out of fear for her safety.
However, evidence suggested that she may have been involved in planning the attack.
Gillooly later claimed that Harding was aware of the plot, but Harding continued to deny any involvement.
Despite the attack, Kerrigan recovered quickly enough to compete in the 1994 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal.
Harding, who also competed, finished in eighth place.
Shortly after, the United States Figure Skating Association conducted its own investigation and banned Harding for life, stripping her of her 1994 U.S. Championship title.
She was also forced to plead guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution, which resulted in 3 years of probation, 500 hours of community service, and a $160,000 fine.
Jeff Gillooly pled guilty to the charge of racketeering, which included conspiracy to commit assault. Under the plea deal, he was sentenced to two years in prison.
He ended up serving only six months in prison due to good behavior and for cooperating with authorities.
After the scandal, Gillooly legally changed his last name to “Stone” and shaved his mustache in an effort to distance himself from the infamy surrounding the attack.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Tonya Harding transitioned to professional boxing in 2003. Her debut match was in a 2002 “Celebrity Boxing” match against Paula Jones, which she won.
- Throughout her short career, she fought a total of six professional matches, with three wins, three losses, and no draws.
- She celebrated her 54th birthday on November 12, 2024.
