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Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Tom Daley shares the heartbreaking final moments with his dad as he opens up about losing his 'best friend' to brain tumour in emotional new film
Tom Daley has opened up about the final time he squeezed his father's hand before his 'cheerleader, best friend and mentor' died of a brain tumour in 2011. The Olympic diver speaks of his heartache in Warner Bros. Discovery's new feature documentary, 'Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds', which is released on Sunday. Daley shot to prominence when, aged 14, he became Great Britain's second youngest male Olympian at Beijing 2008. The diver would go on to win five medals — including gold at Tokyo 2020 — and retired after last summer's Paris Games where he won silver. The 90-minute feature takes you back to the start of the 31-year-old's career and navigates through the highs and lows of his life inside and outside of the pool. For Daley, the early part of his career was overshadowed by his father's poor health and then death. Robert Daley was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2006 but continued to follow his son's career around the world despite his illness. Doctors initially operated and removed the majority of it, but it began to grow back over time. Tom Daley tells the story of his career in a new documentary which is released on Sunday 'I remember walking into the hospital and then seeing him in the hospital bed with bandages wrapped around his head,' Daley recalls in the documentary. 'That was when I found out that he had just had a brain tumour the size of a grapefruit removed. 'At the time I wasn't told that it was terminal, so just I always assumed, and had the hopeful optimism that he was going to recover, because you think of your parents as invincible. You think of your parents as the people that are going to be there for you through everything, or at least until you become an adult.' And it was in February 2011, when Daley was in Mexico preparing for the London Games, when his world fell apart. 'My mum was like, "Hey, Tom. Just wanted to speak to you and let you know that you're going to be coming home this afternoon. Your dad's not very well. He's currently in the living room, and he's been put on end of life care". 'When I left, he wasn't doing great, but he was fine, like my dad was gonna get better. He had to get better. How could I keep going? How could I go to the next Olympics? How could I do what I do every day without him? Daley rushed back to their home in Plymouth, where Robert had been moved into a downstairs room, to spend a final few months with his dad before he passed away. 'Whenever I wasn't training, or whenever I wasn't at school, I was sat right next to him working on my driving theory test,' Daley said. The diver won his first medal at London 2012 but was on 'autopilot' after his father's death 'That was the one thing that we could still do together.' 'When I had my 17th birthday on May 21 he wanted to come to the window, but he couldn't really walk, but he tried to get to the window anyway. I did my first driving lesson. Came back, and it was on May 27 that he passed away. 'I kept squeezing his hand, and he would squeeze back. And then I remember the last time that he squeezed my hand and then he didn't squeeze back anymore. 'I didn't just lose my dad because he was much more, he was my biggest cheerleader, my best friend, mentor. I mean, our whole life came to a standstill.' Just a year later, Daley won his first medal at London 2012 — bronze in the 10m platform — but he admits that he was operating on 'autopilot', such was his grief. 'There's periods of time where I just have no recollection of what happened, and I felt like I just went into some kind of autopilot of just doing what I thought was right at the time and what other people wanted for me, or what other people expected me to be, or what other people expected me to act like,' he said. 'I kind of shut down. I don't know what I was thinking, but I went to training the next day. I went to the National Championships 10 days later. I just kept going because I didn't know anything else. 'I didn't have anything or have anyone else. I was alone. I felt like I had to put on a brave face, like I always have to, because I always have to keep this front that everything was going to be ok and it wasn't, but I didn't know how to deal with that.'
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Tom Daley is supported by Celebrity Traitors co-star Clare Balding as they share a hug at his 1.6 Seconds documentary screening in London
Tom Daley was supported by soon-to-be Celebrity Traitors co-star Clare Balding as they shared a hug at his Tom Daley 1.6 Seconds exclusive screening in London on Thursday. The retired Olympic diver, 31, shot to fame in 2008 when he competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games aged just 14 years old. And has now starred in his own Warner Bros. Discovery documentary which will detail his incredible life story of the five-time Olympic medalist. But as he graced the blue carpet wearing a trendy black and white ensemble, he shared a sweet moment with broadcaster Clare. Tom, who wore black trousers, a black T-shirt and a white jacket, was seen giving Clare a big hug. The diver and Clare will star alongside each other in the BBC's 2025 Celebrity Traitors, which is set to hit screens this autumn. For the outing, the TV personality wore a blue and white patterned shirt which she paired with white trousers and a blazer. A synopsis for Tom's upcoming release reads: 'From the moment Tom Daley leaps off the diving board, he has 1.6 seconds to showcase what can be achieved when you spend over two decades of your life putting in blood, sweat and tears in the pursuit of athletic perfection. 'Join us as we travel through the past and present of the world's most iconic Olympic diver and explore the successes and hardships that a child prodigy from Plymouth faced in his journey to become one of Britain's most successful Olympic athletes of all time. 'With never-before-seen archive footage and close collaboration with Tom Daley and his family, this documentary explores the pivotal figures, biggest achievements, and greatest obstacles that Daley faced both in and out of the pool. 'Be it as a sporting legend or champion for important social issues, Tom Daley has shaped the world far beyond what could have been thought possible for a British diver. This is his story.' Despite Traitors not airing until autumn 2025, the favourite to win has already been 'revealed' as bookies share their top pick from the impressive line-up. Earlier this year, the highly-anticipated list of 19 stars set to participate in the upcoming series of Celebrity Traitors was released. But before Claudia Winkleman has even selected her Traitors and Faithfuls, there is one particular celebrity who has been named as the most likely to win. Despite Traitors not airing until autumn 2025, the favourite to win has already been 'revealed' as bookies share their top pick from the impressive line-up Stephen Fry is currently the favourite to survive banishment or murder and make it to the end of the treacherous game, according to The comic and actor has odds of 4/1 to win, while talk show host Jonathan Ross comes second at 5/1. Line of Duty actor Mark Bonnar and comic Joe Wilkinson are joint third at 6/1. Comedian Lucy Beaumont and EastEnders star Tameka Empson are both 7/1. While actress Celia Imrie and Nick Mohammed come at 8/1. Ruth Codd is priced at 9/1. Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway and broadcasting icon Clare share odds to win at 10/1. Singer Charlotte Church and Tom both are thought to be 12/1. YouTuber Niko Omilana is priced at 14/1 while comedian Alan Carr follows behind at 16/1. Paloma Faith and David Olusoga share odds of 18/1, and Cat Burns comes next at 20/1. According to bookies, the least likely to win could be Rugby player Joe Marler who is priced at 25/1.
