Tanni Grey-Thompson: Inside life of Paralympics legend from net worth to husband
Tanni Grey-Thompson is one of the most successful Paralympians of all time and has also achieved a great deal since retiring from competition.
Tanni Grey-Thompson is one of Team GB's most decorated Paralympians. She boasts an impressive 16 medals, including 11 golds, from her participation in five Paralympics from Seoul in 1988 to Athens in 2004.
The Welsh-born wheelchair athlete, now 55, competed in a variety of track events ranging from 100m to 800m before retiring in 2007. Beyond her Paralympic achievements, she won the London Marathon wheelchair race six times and held over 30 world records.
Despite living with spina bifida, a condition that affects the development of the baby's spine and spinal cord in the womb, she never let it hinder her successful career. Since retiring from top-level competition, Grey-Thompson has led a fascinating life involving coaching, media work and politics.
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Husband
Grey-Thompson is married to Ian Thompson, a research chemist and former wheelchair athlete and coach who oversaw his wife's training as UK Athletics' wheelchair coach. The couple, who met as members of the national wheelchair racing squad, tied the knot in Cardiff in 1999. They have a daughter, Carys, born in 2002, and reside in the north east of England.
Coaching Jade Jones
Grey-Thompson, along with Thompson, took on the role of mentor and coach to Jade Jones after encountering the budding wheelchair racer at a school sports day.
Jones went on to compete in the 400m, 800m and 1500m events at the London 2012 Paralympics at the age of 16 before securing her first international Team GB medals at the IPC World Championships. She later clinched the gold medal in Paratriathlon at the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
Media work
In addition to coaching, Grey-Thompson carved out a successful media career post-retirement from competition, presenting BBC2's pioneering series for disabled people, From the Edge.
She has also hosted BBC Wales programmes such as X-ray, Big Welsh Challenge, Land of our Mothers and worked for BBC Radio Wales, Five Live and Radio Cleveland. She has covered the Paralympic Games since making her commentary debut at Beijing 2008, working for BBC Sport and Channel 4.
Politics
Grey-Thompson holds a seat in the House of Lords, having been made a life peer in 2010. She was bestowed the title Baroness Grey-Thompson of Eaglescliffe in Stockton-On-Tees.
She has never shied away from expressing her political views and in 2014 she was one of 200 public figures to sign an open letter opposing Scottish independence ahead of the impending referendum.
Net worth
Grey-Thompson has established herself as a company, with her husband and daughter serving as directors. As of 2023, the company's estimated net worth stood at approximately £460,000, according to companies register Companies House.
