Easily the two best lady dancers of all time in the history of the development of the international style of Ballroom dancing, Bobbie Irvine MBE and Janet Gleave hold several records individually with Bob Irvine MBE and Richard Gleave OBE, respectively.
Janet Gleave - along with her former partner and ex-husband, Richard, are the only couple in the history of the British Open Championships to win more than 10 titles at the prestigious Blackpool Dance Festival. They have amounted a supreme 11 Championships across 3 decades to their merit.
Back when Janet was still know as Ms Janet Wade, she and Richard would win 3 consecutive Amateur British Open Ballroom Championship titles from 1968 - 1970. Thereafter, she and Richard soon married and turned professional, and after just 2 short years they surprised everyone by winning their first Professional British Open Ballroom Championship, in 1973, defeating the 4-time defending champions Anthony Hurley and Fay Saxton in the final. They would go on to win another 8 Professional Ballroom Championships at the Blackpool Dance Festival between 1973 - 1978, and again from 1980 - 1981.
Bobbie Irvine MBE (1932 - 2004) - along with her partner and husband, Bob (1926 - 2008), are the only couple in the history of the British Open Championships to win both Professional Ballroom as well as the Professional Latin American titles at the Blackpool Dance Festival. They accumulated an impressive 5 titles during their years competing at Blackpool.
Bill & Bobbie Irvine MBE would win 4 Professional British Open Ballroom Championships from 1962 - 1964, and again in 1966, which was the same year they also won their Professional British Open Latin American Championship title at Blackpool Dance Festival, under the training of renowned Latin American coach, Nina Hunt. Following this unequaled and unrivaled achievement, they would both receive MBE honours from Her Majesty The Queen, Elizabeth II in 1967 - the first of such honors for Ballroom & Latin American dancing.
Bill would go on to serve as Chairman of Adjudicators and Master of Ceremonies for 25 years from 1977 - 2001, and Bobbie would be a part of the panel of 11 adjudicators at the Blackpool Dance Festival, always standing in same left-hand corner.