Buttle announced his retirement from competitive figure skating on Sept. 10, 2008, saying that he was satisfied with what he had accomplished in his career, particularly after winning the world championship in March.
Buttle began skating at age two ... He competed in ice dancing with his older sister, Meghan ... He went to a French language school as a child and is fluent in English and French ... He studied chemical engineering at the University of Toronto part-time before focusing on skating ... He withdrew from the 2006 Grand Prix Series due to a stress fracture in his back ... His 2007-08 season started out slowly, and he lost his Canadian national title; however, he was improving, and he showed it with a silver medal at Four Continents ... He then upset many more heavily favored contenders in Gothenburg, Sweden, to win gold at the 2008 World Championships ... He has choreographed programs for Yu-Na Kim and Lauren Wilson.