10 Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Analeigh Tipton

Before Analeigh Tipton, 25, nabbed starring roles in this month's ABC series Manhattan Love Story and rom-com Two Night Stand, she was winning in a very different arena: figure skating.

Analeigh Tipton

(Image credit: Emman Montalvan)

Born to glide: I started skating when I was 2½. In Minnesota, all kids know how to skate before they even know they have feet.

Get Real: When I moved out to California, it was really hard to find a rink, and I ended up taking it a lot more seriously. All of a sudden it wasn't, like, hanging out at the local rink five minutes away.

Competitive Edge: Bless my parents' hearts for allowing me to be dedicated. I ended up being homeschooled and living with my coach.

Dress Code: Anything backless, anything super-flowy.

Shake It Off: I was known as an artistic skater, but I was never a great jumper. On the ice, I expected to fall a good 20, 30, 40 times. My coach would look at me and be like, "Are you ready to hurt?"

Bag of Tricks: I like a triple salchow because it's a triple, but a double axel is actually a lot harder.

Claim to Fame: I went to the Junior Nationals twice.

Early Bird: When I was filming the movie Damsels in Distress in New York, I would go to the Trump Rink in Central Park in the mornings when it was empty. There's nothing so amazing as a giant, giant space.

Growing Pains: Last December, I put on my custom skates from when I was 18. My feet are a lot fatter, and I could hardly stand! Anybody who can stand in rental skates I bow my head to.

The Takeaway: I left competitive skating when I was 16. I wanted a social life. I still have a skater's butt, and it's served me quite well. Just kidding!


Follow her @OhAnaleigh