Are Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea married? The truth about the Olympic skating partners
Are Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea married? Despite sharing electric on-ice chemistry, the figure skaters are not married or dating each other. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea are American pairs figure skaters who teamed up in 2022 and went on to win Olympic gold at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.
Source: Instagram
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea's profile summary
- Are Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea married?
- Inside Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea's partnership
- How did Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea become skating partners?
- From on-ice partners to Olympic champions
- How Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea balance their off-ice lives and personal boundaries
- FAQs
Key takeaways
- Danny O’Shea ended his retirement to team up with Ellie Kam on the ice in September 2022.
- The figure skaters' relationship with each other is strictly professional.
- Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea's accomplishments include multiple championships, including the 2026 Olympic gold medal.
Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea's profile summary
Full name | Ellie Wong Kam | Daniel Richard O'Shea |
Common name | Ellie Kam | Danny O’Shea |
Nickname | KamO, Kam | Danny O'Slay, O'Sheee-a |
Gender | Female | Male |
Date of birth | 20 December 2004 | 13 February 1991 |
Age | 21 years as of July 2026 | 35 years as of 2026 |
Zodiac sign | Sagittarius | Aquarius |
Place of birth | Yokota Air Base, Tama Area of Western Tokyo, Japan | Pontiac, Michigan, United States |
Nationality | American | American |
Residence | Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States | Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States |
Ethnicity | Asian | White |
Religion | - | Catholic |
Height in centimetres | 152 | 183 |
Height in feet | 5'0" | 6'0" |
Eye colour | Brown | Blue |
Hair colour | Brown | - |
Mother | Mako Kam | Judith O’Shea |
Father | Benjamin 'Ben' Kam | Don O’Shea |
Siblings | 2 | 1 |
Relationship status | Single | Single |
Profession | Professional pairs figure skater | Professional pairs figure skater |
Elementary education | Walker Elementary School | St. Patrick School, Wadsworth |
High school education | The Village High School | Carmel Catholic High School, Saint Viator High School |
Higher education | University of Colorado - Colorado Springs | University of Colorado - Colorado Springs |
Social media |
Are Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea married?
The American pairs figure skaters are not married. Danny O’Shea and Ellie Kam, who partnered professionally in September 2022, became the first US pairs team to win an Olympic medal since 1988.
Inside Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea's partnership
Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea train together under coaches Drew Meekins and Sandy Straub, with choreography split between Marie-France Dubreuil for the free skate and Meekins for the short program. In addition to training together, the figure skating pair's partnership is driven by trust and chemistry grown on and off the ice.
Source: Instagram
Speaking to Women's Health Magazine on their partnership dynamic, their coach, Drew Meekins, expressed that their relationship has been crucial to their success as a team. The pair have also had to navigate a thirteen-year age gap. Meekins said,
We've had to work through a lot of figuring out what each other is trying to say and how the other person wants to receive that information and all of that stuff. My job is usually kind of helping them navigate it.
When asked about the differences in their personalities, Kam described Danny's joyous nature, saying,
Danny comes in with this big smile every day, and I’m like, ‘Wait, I need a second. Please turn the sun off.'
Source: Instagram
Between March 2025 and February 2026, injuries nearly derailed the pair's Olympic bid. In March 2025, O'Shea broke his foot during off-ice jumps; months later, Elie sustained a severe concussion after a fall in practice. Speaking to the aforementioned Women's Health, O'Shea spoke on how they manoeuvre the setbacks,
We have to have the ultimate trust in each other, right? Keep each other safe and take care of going after things like this Olympic gold medal. If there happens to be a miscommunication or a lack of communication off the ice, we've really learned to just put it to the side, leave it off the ice, and—
Kam added,
Be forgiving to each other.
How did Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea become skating partners?
Source: Instagram
At the start of their partnership in 2022, Ellie Kam had never competed internationally, and Danny was technically retired from pairs figure skating. At the time, he assisted Meekins in coaching Kam for two days per week. According to NBC Sports, O'Shea spoke of their initial connection.
We skated together a little bit. It was, in a way, to help her get through that time, which can be emotionally pretty hard. In the back of my mind, I was like, this is an opportunity for myself and for us; if it feels easy and feels as good as I think it will, and it did. It was pretty awesome. She’s a rising star, and I latched on.
Before heading to the March 2023 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan, the pair shared details of their partnership with US Figure Skating. O'Shea noted that,
Ellie didn't know it at the time, but I was definitely interested in skating with Ellie, having watched her perform.
He added,
Even though we like to make it seem like a lot of things have jelled, it's still all so new. I think that it shows that we are a very good match for each other.
Source: Getty Images
Ellie, whose idol is Yuzuru Hanyu, said,
Danny having all the experience helped a lot because he already knew what was going to happen. I just had to worry about being there and keeping my feet under me. He was able to guide my team with Drew. It was super helpful. Skating with Danny is exciting. He's Danny O'Shea!
From on-ice partners to Olympic champions
On 18 April 2026, Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea joined the showcase lineup alongside Ilia Malinin, Alysa Liu, Isabeau Levito, Amber Glenn, and Jason Brown, among others, for the 2026 Stifel Stars on Ice Tour.
The figure skating superstars celebrated their Winter Olympics performance by skating to Shallow, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and Give Me Everything by Pitbull.
Source: Instagram
Here is a summary of their joint achievement record as per the official US Figure Skating and International Skating Union.
Year | Award |
2026 | Olympic team event gold medal |
2026, 2025, 2024, 2023 | U.S. Championships |
2024 | Four Continents Figure Skating Championships bronze medal |
2024 | John Nicks Pairs Challenge International |
2024 | ISU CS Nebelhorn Trophy |
2024 | NHK Trophy |
2023 | ISU CS Finlandia Trophy |
2022 | Golden Spin of Zagreb |
2022 | Ice Challenge |
How Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea balance their off-ice lives and personal boundaries
In addition to professional figure skating, Ellie Kam is a major at the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs.
Ellie lists baking, reading, thrifting, and car racing among her hobbies and includes as much sleep as she can get to make a perfect day. She told Women’s Health,
I would stay in bed until probably, like, noon if I could.
Growing up, Danny O'Shea's family was highly supportive, allowing him to take on multiple sports, including football, soccer, basketball, track, and karate.
O'Shea, who works as a real estate agent and skating coach, creates balance in his own life by interacting with nature through hikes. His bright and sunny personality extends to his relationship with Ellie. He told Women’s Health,
She’ll just wave at me from afar and be like, ‘I am here. Hello. We just learned to be there for each other in those moments, right? I'm ready, I'm smiling, and I'm there to say, ‘Okay, good morning, Ellie, and now have your space.’
FAQs
- Are the US ice dancers couples? Some US ice dancing teams, such as Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, Eva Pate and Logan Bye, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates, are married in real life.
- Are Danny O'Shea and Ellie Kam together? The 2026 Winter Olympics champions are not dating.
- How old are Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea? As of 2026, Ellie Kam is 21 years old, and Danny O'Shea is 35 years old.
- Where is Ellie Kam from? Ellie Kam was born at Yokota Air Base in Japan and was raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.
- Is Ellie Kam married? Ellie Kam is not married and is currently single.
- What nationality is Ellie Kam? Ellie Kam is American.
- Who is Danny O'Shea's husband? Danny O'Shea does not have a husband.
- How many partners has Danny O'Shea had? Danny O'Shea has competed internationally with three pairs partners: Tarah Kayne, Chelsea Liu, and Ellie Kam.
Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea are not married. The American pairs figure skaters have competed together on the national and international stage for about four years. Despite a brief partnership, the pair made history by scooping up gold at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games.
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