She is the disgraced former figure skater whose spectacular fall from grace comes to life on the big screen in critically acclaimed film I, Tonya.
And Tonya Harding was at the centre of more drama on Tuesday as she threatened to walk out of a Good Morning Britain interview over questions about the infamous 1994 attack which injured the knee of her rival Nancy Kerrigan – with host Piers Morgan telling her to stop playing the ‘victim’.
The 48-year-old, who stepped back into the spotlight at the Golden Globes on Sunday, became visibly frustrated when Piers began probing if she knew her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, and his co-conspirator, Shawn Eckhardt had hired a hitman to critically injure her biggest rival.
Drama: Tonya Harding threatened to walk out of a GMB interview over questions about the 1994 attack on ice skating rival Nancy Kerrigan with Piers Morgan telling her to stop playing the ‘victim’ on Tuesday
Controversial: She became frustrated when Piers began probing if she knew her ex Jeff Gillooly, and her bodyguard, Shawn Eckhardt had hired a hitman to injure her biggest rival
The interview started out on a happy note as Tonya spoke about attending Sunday’s Golden Globes awards.
An initially happy Tonya said: ‘It was absolutely wonderful, everyone was just fabulous, it was such an honour to be there with fantastic people, that have made me feel like my life is truly worth something and that my son can grow up knowing his mom is not a cheater.’
But the interview quickly turned sour when Piers began to ask Tonya about her prior knowledge of the attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan.
Denial: But the interview quickly turned sour when Piers began to ask Tonya about her prior knowledge of the attack. She said: ‘What did I know, I knew after I got back, nothing prior to the attack’
Portrayal: Margot Robbie plays Tonya in the critically acclaimed film I, Tonya
Rink rivals: Tonya said: ”I don’t like the word rivalry, Nancy and I were friends, we had competed against for so long, when you are on the ice it’s up to you’ (pictured one month after the attack on Nancy in February 1994)
Critical acclaim: Margot has won praise for her portrayal of the shamed ice dancer
Earlier this month it was reported she had claimed to have ‘known something was up’ ahead of the incident.
But on Good Morning Britain, she denied any prior knowledge, saying: ‘What did I know, I knew after I got back, nothing prior to the attack.’
‘I don’t like the word rivalry,’ she added. ‘Nancy and I were friends, we had competed against for so long. When you are on the ice it’s up to you, not anybody else, to show what you can go out and do it perfect.
Fury: As Piers proved further Tonya said: ‘I respect you for trying to ask these questions, I’m here to talk about the future and what it means, my movie is going to help so many people, that it is OK to ask for help. So that’s why I’m here’
Piers responded: ‘Maybe it suits you to play the victim, the victim was Nancy Kerrigan’ and Tonya then threatened to walk out of the interview saying: ‘Thank you so much but I think I’m going to have to say have a good night’
‘We were competitors, we were trying to reach for the same goal.’
She also denied that Shawn Eckhardt was her bodyguard after Piers asked a question, saying: ‘No, excuse excuse me, that is incorrect, he was not my bodyguard, he was asked to pick us up at the airport, I asked him to walk in front of me so I wouldn’t get hit in the head
‘I respect you for trying to ask these questions, I’m here to talk about the future and what it means, my movie is going to help so many people, that it is OK to ask for help. So that’s why I’m here.’
Piers responded: ‘Maybe it suits you to play the victim, the victim was Nancy Kerrigan.’
Top of her game: Tonya was at the top of her game, known for performing two triple Axels in a single competition
Tonya then threatened to walk out of the interview, saying: ‘Thank you so much but I think I’m going to have to say have a good night.’
An incredulous Piers said: ‘You’re going?’
His comment let Tonya to bite back: ‘You weren’t letting me finish. I think many people are victims every day, people need to stand up for themselves, that abuse shouldn’t be happening anymore.’
Piers responded: ‘Nancy Kerrigan was the victim, she was abused she was attacked.
Tonya responded: ‘People don’t understand what I was going through’.
Piers said: ‘You did know what was happening, what they were planning to do didn’t you?’
Agony: Nancy was hit in the leg with a police baton as she left a practice facility in an attack orchestrated by Tonya’s ex husband and bodyguard
Tonya called back, ‘No I did not!’ leading Piers to respond ‘You didn’t have any knowledge at all, it was a pure coincidence?’
Ending the interview, Tonya said: ‘No I did not’ as Piers and Susanna bid farewell.
I, Tonya tells the true story of the disgraced figure skater, with Margot Robbie playing the skater and Allison Janney playing the athlete’s mother LaVona Fay Golden.
Janney won a Golden Globe for her portrayal.
It also recounts details of the hardships Harding faced as the daughter of an abusive mother and wife of an abusive husband.
Earlier this month it was reported that Tonya was finally stating once and for all that she was aware of a possible plot to attack one of her fellow competitors ahead of the 1994 Olympic Games.
Comeback: Nancy eventually recovered and won silver at the Olympics
‘I knew something was up,’ said Harding of a knee clubbing that nearly ended Nancy Kerrigan’s career.
She denies playing any role in planning the attack however, which was later revealed to have been set up by her husband and reported bodyguard, who Harding has described as ‘dumb as a post’.
‘I did, however, overhear them talking about stuff where, “well, maybe we should take somebody out to make sure she gets on the team”. I go what the hell are you talking about?’ Harding confessed in the ABC special Truth and Lies: The Tonya Harding Story
It marked the first time she has plainly stated she knew that another American figure skater might be attacked.
Ruin: In March of that year, Harding pleaded guilty to conspiring to hinder prosecution of the attackers and was put on probation and ordered to perform community service. She was stripped of her 1994 US Championship title and banned for life
Harding later said that she viewed herself as a ‘pawn’ who ‘paid the ultimate price’ for the assault on her fellow figure skater, which was carried out by hired hand Shane Stant.
‘I’m always the bad person. And I never understood that,’ said Harding.
She initially denied having any knowledge of the situation and in the end Kerrigan, who was hit on the leg with a police baton as she left a practice facility, recovered and won Silver at the Lillehammer Games, while Harding finished in eighth and left the sport in disgrace.
In March of that year, Harding pleaded guilty to conspiring to hinder prosecution of the attackers and was put on probation and ordered to perform community service.
Soon after, Harding was stripped of her 1994 US Championship title and banned from participating in US Figure Skating Association events as either a skater or a coach for the rest of her life.
I, Tonya has become a critical success, garnering rave reviews and award nominations.
Allison and Margot both won Golden Globes nominations for their performances, but the film itself narrowly missed out on Best Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy.
Nominee; Margot won a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Tonya (pictured at the awards on Sunday)
Emotional: Tonya was emotional as Alison Janney picked up a Golden Globe for the film