Piper Gilles married Nathan Kelly in September 2022
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Tang Xinyu/VCG via Getty; Piper Gilles/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Olympic ice dancer Piper Gilles met Nathan Kelly, a former race car driver, in 2018
- The couple dated for four years before marrying in 2022
- After hosting an intimate wedding so Kelly’s grandfather could be present, the couple held a larger ceremony in 2024
Behind the pressure and precision of Olympic ice dancing, Piper Gilles has relied on the steady support of her husband, Nathan Kelly.
After meeting in 2018, the Glitter & Gold star dated the former race car driver for four years before he popped the question, she told Hello! Canada in 2024. The couple decided to get married a few months later so that Kelly's grandfather, who "wasn't in the best of health," could attend.
Gilles shared news of their surprise wedding in a Valentine's Day 2023 Instagram post. "Saying yes to you was one of the easiest decisions of my life," she wrote, noting their wedding date of Sept. 3, 2022.
Though they planned to hold another, larger celebration sooner, they had to postpone it by two years after Gilles was diagnosed with stage one ovarian cancer. The decorated figure skater discussed her diagnosis in a 2023 Instagram video, revealing that she had to have an appendectomy and is now cancer-free.
So who is Piper Gilles' husband? Here's everything to know about Nathan Kelly and his relationship with the Olympic ice dancer.
Kelly is from Canada
Piper Gilles/Instagram
Gilles' husband is from Nova Scotia, a coastal province on Canada’s east coast. He told Hello! Canada that he grew up near Joggins, a "really cool" rural community with "giant cliffs."
Though Gilles may compete for Canada, she was born in Colorado Springs, Colo., per Hello! Canada. She previously danced for the United States before moving to Toronto in 2011, where she gained her Canadian citizenship and partnered up with Paul Poirier on the ice.
He’s a former racecar driver
Piper Gilles/Instagram
Kelly is also a professional athlete, having raced cars since the age of 9.
“My dad was into cars,” he told Record in 2016 of how he got into the sport. “We competed in kart racing progressing in classes around the region. Originally we looked into motocross racing, but mom was not a fan of two wheels.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Kelly drove for the Atlantic Racing Team until 2014. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Mount Allison University in 2016 and began working in marketing for racing brands such as Sports Driving Canada.
He's also freelanced as a commercial video producer since 2018.
Gilles and Kelly met in 2018
Piper Gilles/Instagram
Gilles and Kelly first crossed paths in 2018 at a seemingly random spot: a Porsche dealership. After Gilles had dropped off her car for service, a staff member suggested that his coworker, a former race car driver, should take her out for a spin.
Recalling the meet-cute to Hello! Canada, Gilles said she fully expected this setup to be with "a 55-year-old guy" and was pleasantly surprised when Kelly walked out instead. "I knew this was going to be a very different situation," she added.
Kelly supported her after her mom died
Piper Gilles/Instagram
The day of what would have been the couple’s first date, Gilles’ mother suddenly died at age 63 from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. When she called Kelly to cancel, he immediately understood, having lost his own father years earlier.
"He stood by me every step of the way," the ice dancer told Hello! Canada. "For me, it was almost meant to be — like I was gaining love even as I was losing it."
When asked how she knew that Kelly was the one, Gilles pointed to his understanding of grief as what "drew" her to him. "We connected on so many different levels, including grief," she explained, "which is not something anyone should be going through so early on in a relationship."
They had two weddings
Piper Gilles/Instagram
On Sept. 3, 2022, Kelly and Giles tied the knot in a small, intimate ceremony in Nova Scotia. They had sped up their timeline so that Kelly's grandfather, whom he described to Hello! Canada, as "an important person" in his life, could attend the ceremony.
Soon after their first wedding, Giles was diagnosed with stage one ovarian cancer. She said it was her father who suggested they "put everything else on the back burner" and focus on her health. They did, and after she was cancer-free, they held a second, more extravagant affair in Toronto in October 2024.
Even though he had already watched her walk down the aisle once before, Kelly told Hello! Canada, seeing her do so a second time, was somehow even more special.
"I had this special moment when I realized that I get to spend the rest of my life with someone who's perfect for me," he recalled. "We have this balance in our relationship — it's the perfect team dynamic. Being able to do this again was reaffirming."
Gilles and Kelly share a dog
Piper Gilles/Instagram
Kelly and Giles are also proud pet parents of a goldendoodle named Scout. Though the pup has its own Instagram account, Scout occasionally appears on her mom's feed as well. In October 2025, the skater shared a few pics — taken by Kelly — of them out on a forest hike, captioning the Instagram images, "Just two blondes out enjoying nature🍁🍂."
Scout's daily routine has also been featured on Kelly's Instagram. In August 2023, he shared a funny snap of the dog catching a ball, writing "Big morning: found her ball, barked at neighbours (3 times), ate grass, puked grass, ate grass, chased a squirrel."
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