Judy Simpson

{{Infobox sportsperson

|name=Judy Simpson

|birth_name = Judith Earline Veronica Livermore

|birth_date= {{birth date and age|1960|11|14|df=yes}}

|birth_place= Kingston, Jamaica

|death_date=

|death_place=

|home_town=

|sport = Heptathlon and 100m hurdles

|club = Rugby & District AC, Rugby
Birchfield Harriers

|show-medals=yes

|medaltemplates={{Medal|Sport | Women's Athletics}}

{{Medal|Country|{{ENG}}}}

{{Medal|Country|{{GBR2}} }}

}}

Judith Earline Veronica Simpson (née Livermore; born 14 November 1960) is a British former heptathlete who competed at two Olympic Games. She went on to appear as Nightshade in the TV show Gladiators between 1993 and 1996.

Early life

She went to Harris School.

She competed in Tae Kwan Do, becoming the English champion, and was in the English team. She lived on Wood Street.Coventry Evening Telegraph Wednesday 3 March 1976, page 10

Athletics career

Simpson was born in Jamaica, but brought up in Rugby, Warwickshire.{{cite web |title=Judy Simpson (nee Livermore) |date=4 February 2015 |url=https://birchfieldharrierssportingtales.wordpress.com/about/birchfield-harriers-sporting-tales/judy-simpson-nee-livermore/ |publisher=Birchfield Harriers Sporting Tales |access-date=8 March 2022}} She competed in the pentathlon at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and in the heptathlon and high jump at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She competed in three Commonwealth Games; the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia, the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, and the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand, winning a silver, gold and bronze respectively in the heptathlon.{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/edinburgh-1986/athletes|title=1986 Athletes|website=Team England}}{{cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/games/3041/19/all|title=England team in 1986|website=Commonwealth Games Federation|access-date=6 October 2019|archive-date=19 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419153600/https://thecgf.com/results/games/3041/19/all|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/auckland-1990/athletes|title=1990 Athletes|website=Team England}}{{cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/games/3042/19/all|title=England team in 1990|website=Commonwealth Games Federation|access-date=6 October 2019|archive-date=4 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404120931/https://thecgf.com/results/games/3042/19/all|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/40167|title=Athletes and results|website=Commonwealth Games Federation|access-date=6 October 2019|archive-date=6 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006090629/https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/40167|url-status=dead}} She was also the Three A's heptathlon champion in 1982 and 1983.{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=14 March 2025}}{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (women) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=14 March 2025 }} In 1986, Simpson won a bronze medal in the heptathlon at the European Championships in Stuttgart with a personal best points total of 6623.

Television

In 1987, Simpson participated in Prince Edward's charity television special The Grand Knockout Tournament. Between 1993 and 1996, she featured in the British television show Gladiators as "Nightshade". After appearing in an Ashes competition with Australian Gladiators, she became ill. She appeared for a few episodes of the 1996 series but was later forced to pull out.

Personal life

In 1999, Simpson's daughter, Joan Mary, died of meningitis, following a nationwide outbreak of the disease.{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/250473.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Brain disease claims Gladiator's baby | date=7 January 1999 | accessdate=1 April 2019 }}

Achievements

{{AchievementTable\|Event=yes}}
colspan="6"\|Representing {{GBR2}} / {{ENG}}
1980 \|Olympic Games \|Moscow, Soviet Union \|13th \|pentathlon \|4304
rowspan=3\|1982 \|European Championships \|Athens, Greece \|7th \|heptathlon \|6287
rowspan=2\|Commonwealth Games \|rowspan=2\|Brisbane, Australia \|5th \|100 m hurdles \|13.25
bgcolor=silver\|2nd \|heptathlon \|6214
rowspan=2\|1983 \|World Student Games (Universiade) \|Edmonton, Canada \|bgcolor=cc9966\|3rd \|heptathlon \|6184
World Championships \|Helsinki, Finland \|— \|heptathlon \|DNF
rowspan=2\|1984 \|rowspan=2\|Olympic Games \|rowspan=2\|Los Angeles, United States \|19th (q) \|high jump \|1.84 m
5th \|heptathlon \|6280
1985 \|World Student Games (Universiade) \|Kobe, Japan \|bgcolor=cc9966\|3rd \|heptathlon \|6046
rowspan=2\|1986 \|Commonwealth Games \|Edinburgh, Scotland \|bgcolor=gold\|1st \|heptathlon \|6282
European Championships \|Stuttgart, West Germany \|bgcolor=cc9966\|3rd \|heptathlon \|6623
1988 \|Olympic Games \|Seoul, South Korea \|— \|heptathlon \|DNF
1990 \|Commonwealth Games \|Auckland, New Zealand \|bgcolor=cc9966\|3rd \|heptathlon \|6085

colspan="6"|Representing {{GBR2}} / {{ENG}}

1980

|Olympic Games

|Moscow, Soviet Union

|13th

|pentathlon

|4304

rowspan=3|1982

|European Championships

|Athens, Greece

|7th

|heptathlon