The more the ceremony progressed, the more Ann Stellato’s eyes grew watery. In front of her, her daughter Deanna Stellato-Dudek was in the process of becoming a Canadian citizen. When the world champion in pairs figure skating said the words of her oath, finally, her mother’s tears flowed.
Posted at 5:44 p.m.
A bit like the cold December rain that fell heavily outside. On the other hand, the radiant smile of Deanna Stellato-Dudek was inversely proportional to the sad weather which afflicted Montreal, on this Wednesday of rejoicing in the offices of Me Patrice Brunet, Laurier Avenue West.
“It is an honor for me to announce that you are now a Canadian citizen,” proclaimed the government representative from the other side of the screen. Stellato-Dudek raised his arms to the sky, let out a cry of joy, and the small room full of family, friends and media began to applaud. Ann Stellato, in the back of the room, breathed a sigh of relief.
“So much stress is lifted! “, her daughter rejoiced in front of journalists a few moments later. She wore a Canadian red dress to mark the occasion.
Stellato-Dudek was accompanied by the other half of her duo, Quebecer Maxime Deschamps. It is with him that the athlete from Chicago won the World Championships in Montreal in 2024, the Four Continents Championships in Shanghai this year, as well as the last two editions of the Canadian Championships.
The beautiful story doesn’t end there. At 41, the woman who now holds dual American-Canadian citizenship is the oldest figure skater to have won a world title, regardless of the discipline. She retired from competition in 2001, at the age of 17, before feeling the crazy desire to return in 2016, at the age of 33, with the declared and dreamed goal of winning an Olympic gold medal.
Read “The best kept secret in Quebec”
It was in 2019 that she met Maxime Deschamps and moved to Montreal. The pair are now favorites for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games. Both representing Canada.
“I now feel like Max and I can make our Olympic dream come true,” she says.
“It’s a liberation,” confirms Deschamps, at his side. Now all that’s left to do is skate, train and move forward to get as prepared as possible for the Olympics. »
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Deanna Stellato-Dudek
“A dream come true”
Stellato-Dudek had been a permanent resident since April 2023. Me Patrice Brunet, to whom the entire file was entrusted from the beginning, filed the citizenship application a month later, requesting that article (4) of the Citizenship Act allowing “rewarding exceptional services rendered to Canada”.
The aforementioned gold medals helped “enhance the case,” according to the lawyer. Stellato-Dudek also mentions that a petition with 10,000 signatures was attached.
“The fact that they were world champions in March was a turning point,” believes Mr. Brunet. Justin Trudeau’s tweet was also important. We immediately added it to the file when we saw that. »
The country’s Prime Minister congratulated the couple on their world title while responding to a Team Canada post on X.
All of this means that the “stress” and “uncertainty” linked to this request are now a thing of the past.
“It’s a dream come true,” says Ann Stellato, who is carrying her daughter’s dog, Goldie, in her arms. She’s been working on this since she’s been here. She and Max make a great pair. They managed to get through COVID together, work harder, develop new skills. »
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Ann Stellato, Deanna Stellato-Dudek, son Goldie and Maxime Deschamps
The skater’s mother, however, told her that she was “crazy” when she mentioned her wish to return to competition. “But I know my daughter,” she adds in the same breath. She has a strong will when she has something on her mind. »
Do you want another example? She is approaching 2000 consecutive days of French lessons on the application Duolingo.
“I practice every day, but everyone in Quebec speaks too quickly for me! she says in broken but very acceptable French. Everyone uses a lot of slang. So then I get confused. But Maxime and our coach Josée [Picard] speak with me very slowly, as if you were talking to a child! And thenI understand. »
Her “efforts” to learn French, combined with her life in Montreal for almost five years, make her feel more and more “Canadian and Quebecois”.
“And now, when we go to South Korea for the next Four Continents Championships, I will have the same passport as everyone else! »
