SHE was a young ice skater from South Shields who dreamed of making a name for herself.
Now Susie Lipanova's dreams have come true as millions of people tune in to watch her every week on ITV's hit show Dancing On Ice.
We spoke to her family back at home to find out more about her amazing rise to the top of her profession.
Mum Ann and dad Jeff Humble, of Westoe, South Shields, tune in to see if she makes it into the next round with her partner, former Olympic athlete Steve Backley.
Mrs Humble said: "We're so proud of her, and it's brilliant to see her on television.
"She's worked hard for her success and deserves every moment of it."
From an early age, Lipanova, now 33, spent her days training at ice rinks in Sunderland and Whitley Bay.
As Susan Humble, she was featured in the Gazette numerous times – first as a youngster for winning trophies, before taking her love of the sport further and representing Great Britain in events in Poland and Norway.
She also competed in many international competitions as a youngster.
Married to fellow Dancing On Ice star Andrei Lipanov since 1998, she has starred in many professional productions by Hot Ice in Blackpool.
Lipanov, a professional Russian skater paired with TV presenter Natalie Pinkham, was voted off the second show, taking a small weight off his in-laws' minds.
Mr Humble, 65, a retired teacher, said: "At one point, we were thinking what happens if they both end up in the final together?
"Of course we would have backed our Susie, but it would of been a little tricky. At least we don't have to worry about that now."
The ice-skating couple live in Blackpool with their three-year-old son Sasha, who's being looked after by his grandparents while his parents are on the show.
Sasha said: "I like seeing my mummy and daddy on television. It's funny."
Despite the size difference between her and her king-size partner – Backley is 6ft 5in tall and weighs 16st – Mrs Humble isn't too worried about her daughter being dropped from a great height and ending up getting injured.
She said: "He seems quite good and sturdy, and the judges are always criticising him for being too slow, so at least that means he's not going too fast."
Mrs Humble added: "Hopefully, she'll be able to stay in until the end now because she'll have lots of people from South Tyneside voting for her.
"Then we'll be able to go down and see her."
* Dancing on Ice is on ITV1 on Sundays at 6.15pm and again at 8.45pm. Series three is out on DVD in April.