Suzanne Dando was born in Balham, London and spent her early years in Merstham, Surrey.

On recovery, she went on to represent her country in the 1979 World Championships, Fort Worth, Dallas USA, gaining her F.I.G.

[citation needed] Dando retired after the Olympics, explaining that the direction the sport was taking concerned her, as the serious injuries, like Yelena Mukhina's, were increasing.

At one point, her parents and coaches reduced her training until she regained her strength and started eating properly.

[citation needed] Following her retirement, Dando coached the under fives in gymnastics at the Lewisham Leisure Centre in South London.

She wrote a book, "Fun Ways to Looking Good", and produced and presented her own fitness video, "Flexercise".

Her TV career started with the BBC presenting the children's programme Stopwatch with Daley Thompson and Janice Long.

Following an old wartime escape route, she led a team of women past and present from the Royal Navy, RAF and Army across the Pyrenees, raising £38,000 for the charities' proposed Battle Back Centres.

[10] In the 2015 New Year Honours, Dando was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to charity.

In September 1996, Dando married the Australian actor Bruce Roberts at Uckfield but he returned to Australia alone in the winter of 1998.