Kriti Mehrotra
It was on November 6, 1991, when Paul Poirier was born in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada to Debra Mendes de Franca and Marc Poirier, following which he grew up in an incredibly supportive household. As explored in Netflix’s ‘Glitter & Gold: Ice Dancing,’ he was reportedly always encouraged to be his true self. He credits his upbringing as one of the factors that gave him the confidence to pursue a professional ice skating career. Paul came out as gay to the world in 2021, a decision he considers significant to his personal journey. Throughout his career, he has faced his fair share of challenges, yet it is commendable that he has remained consistent and focused in his performances and in his representation of his homeland.
How Did Paul Poirier Earn His Money?
Paul Poirier was merely 5 years old when he first developed a passion for skating, which grew deeper until he realized it was his true calling in life. According to records, he started as a single skater, but soon began dabbling in pair ice dancing before partnering with fellow Canadian athlete Vanessa Crone in May 2001. They began competing internationally in the juvenile category not long after, where they did so well that they chose to remain together as they moved up to the junior category in 2005. They made their debut in the fall, quickly proving their mettle in every sense.
Paul and Vanessa placed #7 at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Andorra, which they followed by securing the bronze at the 2006 Norway Grand Prix before later winning gold at the 2007 Canadian Championship. That same year, they placed #9 at the 2007 World Championship and #4 at the ISU Grand Prix finale, enabling them to move up to the senior category from the ensuing 2008-2009 season. The duo then placed #4 at the 2008 Canadian Championship, after which they finished their junior stint strongly with a silver at the 2008 World Championship.
Paul and Vanessa continued to do wonders as they finished their debut senior Grand Prix with silver at the 2008 Skate Canada before placing #4 at the 2008 Trophée Éric Bompard. They then secured a silver at the 2009 Canadian Championships, placed #4 at the 2009 Four Continents Championships, placed #12 at the 2009 World Championships, and secured bronze at the 2009 NHK Trophy. Remaining true to the almost pattern they had fallen into, they placed #4 at the 2009 Rostelecom Cup and later earned another silver at the 2010 Canadian Championship.
Paul and Vanessa made their Olympic debut in their second year as seniors at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, which they concluded with an overall placement of #14. They subsequently placed #7 at the 2010 World Championship, before coming back next season with a bang, earning gold at the 2010 Skate Canada Grand Prix, silver at the 2010 Skate America Grand Prix, and finally bronze at the Grand Prix Final. They later secured gold at the 2011 Canadian Championship, won bronze at the 2011 Four Continents Championships, and placed #10 at the 2011 World Championship before announcing their professional split.
That’s when Piper Gilles came into the picture for Paul. Both of them liked their tryout so much that they decided it would be best if she relocated to Canada to compete with him. The American ice dancer subsequently packed her bags, but their partnership sadly could not be announced at international events during their first season, owing to her not being released by the US. Their problem was fortunately solved not long after, and then Piper even obtained her Canadian Citizenship in late 2013, enabling them to compete everywhere without worrying about eligibility.
Paul and Piper have since been an unbreakable pair. They started out by securing gold at the Skate Canada Challenge and bronze at the Canadian Championship during the 2011-2012 season. They then won gold at the US Classics in the 2012-2013 season, silver at the Canadian Championship from 2012 to 2018, and silver at the 2013-2014 Four Continents Championship. They later secured bronze at the 2018-2019 Four Continents Championship before going back up to silver the very next season, all the while also winning several other medals. In fact, the duo is the 2022–2023 Grand Prix Final Champions, 2-time Four Continents Champions (2024 and 2025), 4-time World medalists with 2 silvers and 2 bronze, 5-time Canadian Champions (2020, 2022, and 2024–2026), and 20-time Grand Prix medalists.
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Paul Poirier’s Net Worth
Since Paul Poirier has been actively serving as a professional ice dancer for well over 2 decades, he has undoubtedly managed to accumulate significant wealth for himself over the years. His experience and skills are at the highest level and have been for a long time, so he is also paid accordingly, which, by industry standards, could be well into the 7-figure range on an annual basis. Furthermore, according to records, top skaters are usually paid $50,000 per day at international events, and they reportedly get to walk away with a purse if they finish on the podium.
From what we can tell, ice dancers also have autonomy to use themselves as a brand, so they can evolve as public figures, become influencers, land brand deals, engage in partnerships, and more. Paul has definitely done so since he is a Lululemon Ambassador, has had a paid partnership with Access Storage Canada, and has collaborated with Get Cracking, just to mention a few of his endeavors. Taking all these aspects into account, along with his part-time graduate studies in linguistics, potential assets, likely investments, and expenses, we believe his net worth to be close to $7 million.
