Who is Dame Sarah Storey’s Paralympic gold medallist husband Richard AKA Barney?

DAME Sarah Storey is stepping back into the public eye, trading her racing bike for ballroom shoes on the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing. Yet alongside Britain’s most decorated Paralympian is her equally distinguished husband, Richard ‘Barney’ Storey MBE. Barney stepped up as Sarah’s mentor when she was still an elite swimmer, teaching her everything about track racing Credit: Dan Jones – The Sun Barney and Sarah collected their MBE and OBE from Buckingham Palace on the same day in 2009 Credit: Getty Images – Getty Who is Richard ‘Barney’ Storey? Barney, a 49-year-old British track cycling star and triple Paralympic champion, carved out his own elite legacy. While Dame Sarah ruled individual racing, Barney established himself as a premier ‘sighted pilot,’ the high-speed lead riders responsible for steering and pacing tandem bicycles for visually impaired competitors. Sign up for the TV newsletter Thank you! Riding at speeds of over 40mph on the velodrome track, Barney was the engine and navigational brain for Anthony Kappes and Neil Fachie. Together, they stormed to two gold medals at the Beijing 2008 Games before adding another gold and silver at London 2012. Alongside six World Championship titles, Barney was awarded an MBE in 2009 for services to cycling, collecting his honour at Buckingham Palace on the same day Sarah received her OBE. How did they meet? The sporting couple first crossed paths in April 2004 during a training camp in Cyprus ahead of the Athens Paralympic Games. At the time, Sarah was still competing as an elite swimmer, while Barney was making his name in cycling. Fate brought them together again in Greece, where Barney’s Olympic Village apartment was located directly above Sarah’s. Most read in TV News Their friendship blossomed after the Games when a persistent ear infection forced Sarah out of the swimming pool and threatened her hearing. Curious about cycling, Sarah visited the Manchester Velodrome to give the track a go. Barney stepped up as her mentor, teaching the then-swimmer everything about track racing. After 11 months of training as close mates, Barney finally asked her out in early 2005. When and where did they get married? After three years of dating, Barney and Sarah tied the knot in 2007 in a UK ceremony surrounded by family, friends, and fellow GB teammates. The wedding marked the start of a new chapter as Sarah took her husband’s surname, creating the “Storey” moniker that would go on to grace Paralympic history books. The pair have been together for over 22 years and married for nearly two decades. They live in Cheshire, where local residents even unveiled a stone sculpture in 2013 to celebrate the couple’s combined total of 14 Paralympic golds. How many kids do they have? Barney and Sarah are proud parents to two children. Louisa was born in June 2013 and is now 13 years old, while Charlie was born in October 2017 and is now 8 years old. Having only recently retired from competition in July 2026, Sarah has said it was their daughter Louisa who persuaded her to take on the BBC’s ballroom challenge. Comment now