Beth Tweddle MBE

  • Beth holding on to a gymnastics beam with her legs in split position either side of the beam
  • Beth wearing a cap and gown, holding her Honorary Fellowship outside of the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool with LJMU staff Dave McDermott stood to her left and Professor Zoe Knowles stood on her right
  • Beth stood in the university strength and conditioning gym with two members of LJMU staff stood to her left and one on her right hand side

Beth graduated from LJMU in 2007 and is Britain’s most successful gymnast. She started gymnastics when she was seven years old, at Crewe and Nantwich gymnastics club, and was ranked second in the country within 18 months.

She was the first British woman to win medals at the World Championships, securing the asymmetric bars title in 2006 and the floor title in 2009. She also holds Commonwealth gold plus a plethora of European and British Championship titles. She competed in three Olympics, finishing just outside the medals in Athens and Beijing. At the London 2012 Olympic Games she won bronze in the uneven bars.

When Beth started competing internationally, British women's artistic gymnastics had a minimal presence on the world stage. Over the course of a career spanning two decades, she has dramatically changed that perception and has been instrumental in the recognition of British women’s gymnastics as a formidable force at international championships.

In 2009 Beth co-founded Total Gymnastics to encourage more young people to take up gymnastics and enable children with talent to develop sporting careers. Beth received an MBE in 2010.

“She was one of our first LJMU Sports Scholars and became an ambassador for the university, not only featuring in most of the university's prospectuses and publications but also in encouraging other talented athletes to follow in her footsteps.”

– Professor Zoe Knowles during Beth’s presentation when she became an Honorary Fellow of LJMU 

Alongside the intense training and competition schedule required to succeed at this level Beth studied for a BSc (Hons) degree in Sports Science here at LJMU.  

She was one of our first LJMU Sports Scholars and became an ambassador for the university encouraging Hannah Whelan, a fellow Beijing and London 2012 Olympic gymnast, and Hannah Clowes, 2008 Olympic Games reserve, to study at the university to have a focus away from the gym.  

For outstanding contribution to sport, Beth was recognised with an Honorary Fellowship in 2012.  

Alongside her work to help develop and inspire future generations of sports men and women, she also supports many charitable causes including locally at Alder Hey and returns to LJMU to share her advice with scholars and students following in her footsteps with support from the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences.