Double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes 'is engaged to her long-term girlfriend Louise Cullen three years after coming out'
The Olympic legend, 55, best known for her historic double gold in both the 800m and 1500m at the 2004 Athens Games, reportedly popped the question to Louise earlier this year, sealing their love story that began during lockdown.
A source told The Sun: 'It's a lovely happy ending after she spent years thinking she was going to be arrested for having gay relationships while she was in the Army.
'It was at a time when homosexuality was still illegal for serving troops.'
Kelly met Louise, a professional massage therapist, in 2021 after connecting through an online fitness community launched during the pandemic, and what started as casual chats over shared workouts soon turned into something more serious.
The couple have kept much of their relationship private, but Kelly opened up in 2023, revealing how happy and supported she felt in love, saying: 'She loves me for me. I'm just happy.'
Daily Mail have contacted Kelly's representatives for comment.
The report came as Kelly also make a loved-up appearance alongside her partner Louise at Brighton Pride on Saturday.
In July, Kelly won an Attitude Pride Europe Icon Award. At the time she wrote:
'To be recognised for what I now stand for is incredible.
'You have no idea how much my life has changed over the past three years, unless you have heard me talk at one of my speaking engagements (to those that have…hi) It's life changing to be able to breathe and feel happy (most days)
'It's like I am living a different one. One where I see people and they see me. One where I am in the present, attentive to anyone I meet rather than on edge about what they think. One where I have met a huge amount of people that I sincerely can now say are friends.
'I am reminded everyday from hearing stories from men, women, LGBTQIA communities, mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, business people, widows, mature people, younger people…you get the picture?!
'that what I now speak about and how I have been honest and open about my journey has given them strength and courage to either realise that understanding can support loved ones, friends, family members, colleagues and/or acceptance save lives!'
'I am proud of who I am and can't wish things had been different because that's detrimental, but I can live everyday being my true self.
Kelly added: 'Thanks for all of you that have been incredible loving, supportive, positive, open and honest to me. Love ya'.
Dame Kelly has been very open about keeping her sexuality a secret for over 30 years.
Appearing on Loose Women three years ago, the Olympic champion, emotionally spoke about her battle to hide her sexuality when she was a teenager due to a ban on gay, lesbian and bisexual people serving in the British Army.
She said: 'I joined the army when I was 17, you get rules, it's discipline and you couldn't have a same-sex relationship and I realised quickly I was gay.
'What people forget is during my army career I became a world class athlete. I would have loved to have been me 30 years ago and live my life, but I couldn't.'
'An older generation have fought for this moment so younger generations can come out freely. I never told anyone in sport, no one talked about being gay.'
Gay and lesbian citizens have been only been allowed to serve openly in the Her Majesty's Armed Forces since 2000.
The fight to allow homosexuality in the British Armed Forces started with a legal battle.
Until 2000, around 200 servicemen and women a year were dismissed from the Armed Forces for homosexuality. Some have since won compensation.
Kelly, already a successful young athlete at schools and youth Olympics level, turned down a sports scholarship in the United States to join the army as a teenager.
She became Corporal Kelly Holmes, with a new dream set of being a personal training instructor.
But sporting development continued during her time in the armed forces through success the Army Championships, though Holmes also had success in their judo and volleyball tournaments.
After winning the UK Civilian Championships as Corporal Holmes, Kelly qualified for the 1993 World Championships in the process, leaving her having to balance her armed forces and athletics work. She eventually left the army to become a full-time athlete in 1997.
Kelly also detailed the impact of her mother Pam Norman's death on her decision to come out. Pam died in 2017 from myeloma.
Kelly said: 'I haven't been able to say anything for 34 years, when my mum passed away over 4 years ago, I knew I needed to be so it's taken 4 years to know it's right'.
'At one point I'm going to die and I don't want my family and friends at my funeral saying she couldn't be herself'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
James Whale remembered as ‘broadcasting legend' after death from cancer
James Whale, the long-serving radio DJ and TV personality, has died at the age of 74 after a prolonged battle with cancer. His wife, Nadine Lamont-Brown, said he 'slipped away very gently', while TalkTV, his employer, paid tribute to him as a 'broadcasting legend for over 50 years'. Whale was diagnosed with stage four kidney cancer in 2020, having previously survived the disease in 2000, which inspired him to launch Kidney Cancer UK. Known for pioneering late-night phone-in shows, he had a career spanning five decades across ITV, Sky, BBC, TalkSport, and LBC, and received an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours. Whale's colleague Mike Graham said: 'James Whale broke the rules, he shaped the airwaves, and did it all on his own terms ... he was a companion, a provocateur, and a good friend that we'll all never forget.'
Scottish Sun
8 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Calvin Harris reveals he's become a dad for the first time after wife Vick Hope gives birth and shares first snap of son
The star revealed his son's name FEEL SO CLOSE Calvin Harris reveals he's become a dad for the first time after wife Vick Hope gives birth and shares first snap of son Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CALVIN Harris has revealed that he's become a dad for the first time after wife Vick Hope gave birth. The music legend shared an adorable photo cradling his tot. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 3 Calvin Harris has become a dad for the first time, and shared a sweet photo 3 Calvin shared photos of the birth Calvin penned to fans: "20th of July our boy arrived. Micah is here! My wife is a superhero and I am in complete awe of her primal wisdom! Just so grateful. "We love you so much Micah." He posted a photo lounging on a sofa with a tea in front of him while holding his little boy, Micah. In another photo, Calvin shared a look at the little one in a birthing pool and his held him in his arms. The One Kiss DJ also shared a look at Vick in the birthing pool with a stunning mountainside backdrop and candles in the room. And finally, Calvin shared the process of making Vick's placenta into tablets. Fans and friends flooded the comments section. Laura Whitmore wrote: "Congrats to you both! Enjoy the magic x" And Pixie Lott added: "omg congrats vick and calvin!!!! so lovely." Roman Kemp shared heart emojis, and Dean McCullough said: "congratulations guys, hope mama and baby are doing amazing." Calvin Harris set to become a dad for the first time as wife Vick Hope reveals pregnancy TV star Vick Hope, 35, revealed earlier this year that she and Calvin were expecting their first child. Recently, Vick shared snaps of her partying at Calvin's Ibiza gig - while proudly showcasing the bump. For one snap, she took a mirror selfie while wearing a sparkling mini dress. In another photo, Vick could be seen wearing a bikini and smiling for the camera alongside AJ Odudu. Vick and Calvin tied the knot back in 2023 - having begun dating in January 2022. And it's clear have solid foundations to give a baby the best possible early life. The couple have a stunning 138-acre organic farm in Ibiza, known as Terra Masia. The Spanish estate produces fruit, vegetables, eggs, and wine, and represents Harris's shift from jet-set lifestyle to a more rural affair. A source told The Sun in 2022: 'Calvin employs an expert team, including farmers and chefs, but he's also hands-on, regularly getting involved in planting and other farm activities. He's truly passionate about the project.'
Times
9 minutes ago
- Times
We yearned for Chris Woakes to give us drama but watching was like torture
Everyone wanted to see it. And then, when we saw it, nobody wanted to see it at all. Chris Woakes, his dislocated shoulder in a sling, marched down the Oval steps to save the day. There were 17 runs to get and just one wicket remaining, obviously or he wouldn't have been out there. It was the ending many had wished for, since it became plain that this, the most astonishing Test series in recent history, was going to come down to an incredibly tense, close end. Wouldn't it be incredible, we had agreed, if it all rested on Woakes, with one good arm, trying to hit the winning runs. But we hadn't thought it through. Yes, it would be incredible. Yes, it would be the greatest drama, the most riveting spectacle, a Test match and series for the ages. It wouldn't, however, be a pleasant watch. It would be like one of those fights you just want to end, when one boxer has taken too much punishment, is bloodied, barely able to stand. Why doesn't the referee stop it? Why don't they throw in the towel? From representing all that was brave and heroic about elite sport — and it was most certainly that — Woakes's reappearance was now being viewed from behind a sofa or, wincing, through fingers. And not just because this was a breathlessly tight finish. We are used to sporting occasions shot through with apprehension and jeopardy. This was a hard watch, simply, because it fixed our eyes immovably on an individual in tremendous pain. Woakes walked out to the non-striker's end, which was fine. The crooked, crocked arm in a sling beneath his jumper, the bat held in his left. He was going to bat left-handed, that much was already known. Joe Root had spoken of Woakes having a net at the training centre the previous day, although there was no sign of him practising on the outfield that morning. It soon became apparent why. 'A bit of a hit,' was how Woakes's preparation had been described. That now sounded something of an exaggeration. Maybe Woakes took a few throw downs just to get the feel of a left-handed stance — he bats right-handed, when fully able — but to describe it as a hit might be overplaying it. He could barely run, let alone hit which became plain when required to run a quick single off the last ball of the over. Woakes was in agony. At which point it became a rather guilty watch. It is possible, in the modern world, to stop thinking of athletes as real people. Consider the abuse raining down from the stands, or on social media. A player misses a penalty, or loses a final, falls short of expectations in some way. They did their best, they are already at a low ebb. And this is the point at which they are considered deserving of deeply personal attacks, racism, sexism, just horrible behaviour. There was nothing but love for Woakes here, of course, but also maybe tiny pangs of contrition from those who had hoped for front row seats in a contest that was now a little too gladiatorial. We yearned for drama; what we were getting looked more like torture. When Woakes made it to the safe end, he looked distressed. His head was bowed, he was grimacing, squirming, trying to make adjustments to the affected area as if there was any short-term fix for running with dislocation. It was obvious, in that moment, that rumours of the impact Woakes could have here had been rather overstated. He wasn't going to face unless it was absolutely unavoidable, he wasn't going to hit in any way that was purposeful. He was there because he had to be, because the alternate option would have been to shake hands nine wickets down when Josh Tongue got out, and that wouldn't have been the spirit of Bazball at all. When the ninth wicket fell, the stewards hurried onto the pitch to guard against a fan invasion, as they do when a match has ended. They clearly hadn't been made aware of the madcap intention. 'Chris is all in,' Root had said the previous night. It wouldn't have been the Bazball vibe at all if he then transpired to be all out when called upon. So we remained transfixed, and conversation moved to technicalities. He has a bat. It must make it harder running with one arm in a sling, and another holding a bat? Does he need a bat? He's obviously not going to bat. Yet Woakes stayed out there, with his bat. He called two when Atkinson connected off the first ball of the next over. He got through for another single off the last. And, it will be asked, why didn't Woakes have a runner? He was genuinely injured, as was Rishabh Pant at Old Trafford in the fourth Test, batting with a fractured metatarsal. Injured players used to have assistance at the crease. Why was Woakes made to suffer in this way? Gamesmanship, simply. Runners have been outlawed since 2011 because the ICC believed too many players were going down with rather convenient cases of cramp and getting support from fresher, fitter colleagues. And the replacement was never a player in the athletic mould of, say, Monty Panesar or Intikhab Alam. The fear was of looking over and seeing Zharnel Hughes putting on a pair of spikes. So that was why Woakes had to run; because elite sports people are competitive lunatics and can't be trusted to play fair. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Did that make it a relief, of sorts, when the brilliant Mohammed Siraj — man of this match, if not the series — bowled one last supreme yorker and brought England's innings to an end, six short of India's total? You'd think, wouldn't you? Yet for all the grimacing and wincing, for all the pain, Woakes still looked like a man who would rather do it for another two sessions, still be doing it now actually, rather than surrender. They're not normal, these people. I was at Nou Camp in 2003 when Barcelona captain and centre half Carles Puyol suffered a similar shoulder injury in a 1-1 mid-table draw with Celta Vigo. He put his elbow across his chest, held his good shoulder with his bad arm and completed the second half. It was magnificent, it was madness. It was hard to watch, it was impossible to stop watching. But it was, undeniably, sport. There truly is nothing like it. You think AI could come up with this Test series?
