Latest news with #TomDaley
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tom Daley looks back: ‘My management said if I came out, I'd lose sponsorship'
Interactive Born in Plymouth in 1994, Tom Daley is Britain's most decorated diver. He was 13 when he made history as Britain's youngest competitor at the 2008 Olympics, and the following year became a world champion. He won gold at the Tokyo Olympics with his synchronised diving partner, Matty Lee, before retiring from diving in 2024. He is married to the screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, with whom he has two sons. The documentary, Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds, is available to stream on Discovery+ from 1 June. Advertisement I used to be obsessed with wearing tea towels. I'd make sure the fabric was completely lined-up and tucked in neatly. If it was in the slightest bit ruffled or messy, I would get upset and rip it off and try it all over again. This was the beginning of my perfectionism – and possibly the first signs that I might not be 100% straight. My mum says that as a kid, I was very sweet but I knew what I wanted. What did I want? To do the best I could at anything that I tried. That is still my mentality today. If I'm going to try something and it doesn't work out perfectly, I don't have tantrums any more, but I do get frustrated. That's the thing about being an athlete: being good is not enough – you have to be the best. It's not something you can teach, but every athlete who gets to an Olympic level has that same drive. We know our flaws before anybody else can point them out. I was seven when I started diving. I loved the water but found swimming up and down a little bit boring – diving was much more fun. I started out jumping off the side of the pool, then tried the one-metre. The first time I tried the 10-metre platform I was eight years old. I remember crawling to the edge because I was too scared to walk – the board seemed to reduce in size with every step and suddenly looked like a tightrope. I was peering off into the water, thinking: 'There's no way I can jump off this.' But once I was in the air, there was no going back. It was a surreal and euphoric moment – freefalling for 1.6 seconds. As soon as it was over, I knew I wanted to do it again. My childhood was brilliant. I was always outdoors, and we used to go for weekends away in our caravan in Newquay. I felt very safe, loved and cared for. Because I was so happy with my family, I used to hate travelling for competitions – I would get so homesick. It was terrifying to be on the other side of the planet from your parents when you're 10 years old – especially when everyone else competing was much older. I can't imagine how painful it was for my parents to hear their son crying on the end of the phone. Advertisement Related: Jeff Goldblum looks back: 'My brother was an interesting dude. When he died it was terrible, monumental' My dad Rob was my biggest cheerleader. He would work all day, pick me up from school, take me to the pool and stay all evening until I finished training. He would be there for every competition. We were a team, and it was our dream together. He was great at teaching me about perspective: if I bombed out at a competition, he would say: 'You came 30th, but you're still the 30th best in the world.' When dad died [of a brain tumour in 2011], I went to training the next morning. I carried on competing without a proper break. Maybe it's a British thing, but me and my family wouldn't speak about his passing that much. It's as if we didn't want to upset anyone, or make them feel uncomfortable. I also felt that I had to be the strong one – the person who could support my family. It was only when I met my husband Lance, and he would ask why I didn't speak about my dad, that I allowed myself the space to grieve. And it still hits me now, especially when those major milestones happen. He missed me winning my first Olympic medal, my wedding, my first son's birth. Lance and I met at a dinner in 2013. We talked and talked until we both realised how similar our lives were. He had just lost his brother; I'd lost my dad. He had just won his Oscar; I had just won an Olympic medal. It was the first time I could complain about success to somebody who knew I wasn't really complaining about success. I was complaining about how to deal with what happens on the other side – the pressure and expectations. Knowing that nothing would ever compare to that feeling again. Advertisement I met Lance in March and came out to the media nine months later. I don't think I would ever have said anything about my private life unless I had met someone like Lance. Once we fell in love, I knew I couldn't keep it a secret. It was absolutely terrifying, posting the video on YouTube, because my management at the time had not been encouraging, and told me that I was going to lose my sponsorship. It was a scary thing to do, but once it was out there I was glad. It took all of the pressure off. I could be me for the first time. In 2024, I competed at the Paris Olympics, this time with my sons in tow. Being a dad was still my priority, so I had to deal with running on low sleep. I went to bed at 8 o'clock, because I didn't know how many times I'd be up in the night. I'd wake early for training but would make sure I was home to help Lance with bedtime. I always found it incredibly difficult to leave them for competitions, and I carried a sense of guilt with me. My husband is so supportive, and he's sacrificed a lot for me. But now I've retired, it's his moment. He's like: 'It's my turn to get my career back on track!' I have been an athlete for most of my life, so it's taking time to adjust to my new reality. I am so used to being disciplined that even if I'm out for dinner on a Saturday night, and someone asks if I'd like a glass of wine, it takes me a second to realise I am actually allowed to. Food is the same. When I was about to go to the 2012 Olympics, I was told by a coach that I needed to lose weight. After that, I had some issues with eating disorders. At the time it was something that men didn't really speak about, so I kept it to myself and felt very alone. Once I was able to get the proper nutritional support and learned more about what my body needed, and how to fuel it, then my recovery started to unfold. But in truth, that feedback still affects me today. I know how I can look, and how I did feel, at my peak. Now that I'm not training six hours a day, six days a week, I am never going to be in that same form. When I look at this photo, I think about how innocent I look. The boy in the photo has no sense of what society thinks is right or wrong. I could live and be happy and free. I am so glad my parents were the kind of people who celebrated whoever I was; an Olympian diver or a boy who liked to wear tea towels around his waist.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Tom Daley looks back: ‘My management said if I came out, I'd lose sponsorship'
Born in Plymouth in 1994, Tom Daley is Britain's most decorated diver. He was 13 when he made history as Britain's youngest competitor at the 2008 Olympics, and the following year became a world champion. He won gold at the Tokyo Olympics with his synchronised diving partner, Matty Lee, before retiring from diving in 2024. He is married to the screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, with whom he has two sons. The documentary, Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds, is available to stream on Discovery+ from 1 June. I used to be obsessed with wearing tea towels. I'd make sure the fabric was completely lined-up and tucked in neatly. If it was in the slightest bit ruffled or messy, I would get upset and rip it off and try it all over again. This was the beginning of my perfectionism – and possibly the first signs that I might not be 100% straight. My mum says that as a kid, I was very sweet but I knew what I wanted. What did I want? To do the best I could at anything that I tried. That is still my mentality today. If I'm going to try something and it doesn't work out perfectly, I don't have tantrums any more, but I do get frustrated. That's the thing about being an athlete: being good is not enough – you have to be the best. It's not something you can teach, but every athlete who gets to an Olympic level has that same drive. We know our flaws before anybody else can point them out. I was seven when I started diving. I loved the water but found swimming up and down a little bit boring – diving was much more fun. I started out jumping off the side of the pool, then tried the one-metre. The first time I tried the 10-metre platform I was eight years old. I remember crawling to the edge because I was too scared to walk – the board seemed to reduce in size with every step and suddenly looked like a tightrope. I was peering off into the water, thinking: 'There's no way I can jump off this.' But once I was in the air, there was no going back. It was a surreal and euphoric moment – freefalling for 1.6 seconds. As soon as it was over, I knew I wanted to do it again. My childhood was brilliant. I was always outdoors, and we used to go for weekends away in our caravan in Newquay. I felt very safe, loved and cared for. Because I was so happy with my family, I used to hate travelling for competitions – I would get so homesick. It was terrifying to be on the other side of the planet from your parents when you're 10 years old – especially when everyone else competing was much older. I can't imagine how painful it was for my parents to hear their son crying on the end of the phone. My dad Rob was my biggest cheerleader. He would work all day, pick me up from school, take me to the pool and stay all evening until I finished training. He would be there for every competition. We were a team, and it was our dream together. He was great at teaching me about perspective: if I bombed out at a competition, he would say: 'You came 30th, but you're still the 30th best in the world.' When dad died [of a brain tumour in 2011], I went to training the next morning. I carried on competing without a proper break. Maybe it's a British thing, but me and my family wouldn't speak about his passing that much. It's as if we didn't want to upset anyone, or make them feel uncomfortable. I also felt that I had to be the strong one – the person who could support my family. It was only when I met my husband Lance, and he would ask why I didn't speak about my dad, that I allowed myself the space to grieve. And it still hits me now, especially when those major milestones happen. He missed me winning my first Olympic medal, my wedding, my first son's birth. Lance and I met at a dinner in 2013. We talked and talked until we both realised how similar our lives were. He had just lost his brother; I'd lost my dad. He had just won his Oscar; I had just won an Olympic medal. It was the first time I could complain about success to somebody who knew I wasn't really complaining about success. I was complaining about how to deal with what happens on the other side – the pressure and expectations. Knowing that nothing would ever compare to that feeling again. I met Lance in March and came out to the media nine months later. I don't think I would ever have said anything about my private life unless I had met someone like Lance. Once we fell in love, I knew I couldn't keep it a secret. It was absolutely terrifying, posting the video on YouTube, because my management at the time had not been encouraging, and told me that I was going to lose my sponsorship. It was a scary thing to do, but once it was out there I was glad. It took all of the pressure off. I could be me for the first time. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion In 2024, I competed at the Paris Olympics, this time with my sons in tow. Being a dad was still my priority, so I had to deal with running on low sleep. I went to bed at 8 o'clock, because I didn't know how many times I'd be up in the night. I'd wake early for training but would make sure I was home to help Lance with bedtime. I always found it incredibly difficult to leave them for competitions, and I carried a sense of guilt with me. My husband is so supportive, and he's sacrificed a lot for me. But now I've retired, it's his moment. He's like: 'It's my turn to get my career back on track!' I have been an athlete for most of my life, so it's taking time to adjust to my new reality. I am so used to being disciplined that even if I'm out for dinner on a Saturday night, and someone asks if I'd like a glass of wine, it takes me a second to realise I am actually allowed to. Food is the same. When I was about to go to the 2012 Olympics, I was told by a coach that I needed to lose weight. After that, I had some issues with eating disorders. At the time it was something that men didn't really speak about, so I kept it to myself and felt very alone. Once I was able to get the proper nutritional support and learned more about what my body needed, and how to fuel it, then my recovery started to unfold. But in truth, that feedback still affects me today. I know how I can look, and how I did feel, at my peak. Now that I'm not training six hours a day, six days a week, I am never going to be in that same form. When I look at this photo, I think about how innocent I look. The boy in the photo has no sense of what society thinks is right or wrong. I could live and be happy and free. I am so glad my parents were the kind of people who celebrated whoever I was; an Olympian diver or a boy who liked to wear tea towels around his waist.
Metro
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Tom Daley: 'I've blocked out so many traumatic parts of my childhood'
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video From the moment Tom Daley made history by becoming Great Britain's youngest ever competitor at an Olympic Games in Beijing 2008, we as a nation have taken for granted what an open book he has been. If hurtling off a 10m diving board at speeds of up to 33mph wasn't intimidating enough, Tom has had to endure intense scrutiny over the years, including when he came out in 2013, and when he suffered the heartbreaking loss of his father when he was 17 years old. Speaking to Metro ahead of the release of his new Discovery Plus documentary – which is titled 1.6 Seconds, in reference to the time it takes for a diver to hit the water from a 10m board – the Celebrity Traitors star has once again bared all. Within the feature-length documentary, Tom sheds light on how he was never properly able to grieve the death of his father and instead compartmentalised that trauma to focus on his diving career. That struggle, alongside some surprising lows in a career that saw him earn five Olympic medals, weaves in and out of a breathtakingly inspiring diving journey. But, speaking to me from inside a posh London hotel while wearing a (shock) immaculately knitted jumper, Tom shared what it was like to watch never-before-seen archival footage of himself as a child with his father. 'In the documentary I was sitting in a room where I was interviewed for about seven hours talking about my dad and then seeing pictures of me and him when I was really young as a baby, it really got me,' Tom said. 'There's so many parts of my childhood and life that – because it's difficult enough growing up away – you end up blocking out so many of the traumatic things. 'You like to think about all of the amazing things that you got to do and the fun times that you had with your friends and your family, so reliving some of the more difficult parts of my life were challenging.' In May 2011, Tom's father, Robert Daley, died at the age of 40 after suffering from brain cancer. At the time, then-17-year-old Tom paid tribute to his dad in a statement posted on social media, writing: 'If I could be half the dad that my Dad was to me then that would be my best achievement! I love you!' Throughout his early diving career, Robert was a constant presence at his competitions, even at the point when he was getting his brain tumour removed. At one particularly poignant moment in the documentary, Tom tells how his father pushed back his brain surgery by two weeks just to make sure he could be at a diving tournament for Tom. During the interview with Metro, the diving great explained that he's 'way more vulnerable' in his new documentary than he ever usually is. 'I've seen the documentary many times with different cuts, but it's going to be the first time I see it with my mum and my grandma and my friends, so that's going to be quite an emotional one,' he said. The decision to make the documentary came at a pivotal moment in his life – just before he decided that he was going to return to the Olympics to compete one last time at Paris 2024. 'It felt like it was the time to do the whole life career moment,' he stated. 'But I also felt incredibly lucky to have lots of archival footage that my dad had filmed and I saw lots of it for the very first time.' The dad-of-two shared how much it means for his own children to witness the relationship that he had with his father, as well as to see how what their own dad has achieved in his career. 'That's something that I'm really grateful for,' he shared. 'My kids are going to be able to look back and maybe one day see the things that I got up to.' Looking back on his childhood, Tom acknowledged that there a certain things he might have missed out on, as he didn't have a 'normal' upbringing. 'But I also got the opportunity to see and do so many cool things that lots of my friends didn't have the opportunity to do. So I think there's definitely a balance there,' he added. Tom continued: 'I don't necessarily regret anything that I did or sacrificed, because at the end of the day from the age of nine or 10 I was saying that I wanted to win an Olympic gold medal. Yes, there were things that I had to sacrifice, but in the end, I got there. So when that happens, it's worthwhile.' Throughout a glittering career, Tom has won five Olympic medals, including one Gold, one Silver and three Bronze, making him Britain's most decorated diver. He also holds multiple World, Commonwealth and European Championship gold medals, and became a world champion at just the age of 13. In addition to his diving talents, Tom has also made a name for himself in the world of knitting in recent years. This meant I couldn't end the interview without asking Tom about his perfectly knitted jumper, and also whether he had any big projects lined up. More Trending On top of recently starring in Channel 4's new Game of Wool, Tom revealed that he has a secret 'naughty knitting list' for celebrities, and he has given cardigans to the likes of Sharon Stone, Cynthia Eo and Ariana Grande. Did this make me insanely jealous that I would likely never receive a knitted jumper from Tom? Of course it did, yes. Learning about Tom's struggles not just inside of the pool, but also as he navigated coming out as gay when he had the world at his feet, all on top of reckoning with the death of his father, was, rather simply, life-affirming. View More » 1.6 Seconds is available to watch on Discovery Plus from June 1. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: I found Tom Daley's new documentary heartbreaking and uncomfortable – but it's a vital watch MORE: Stacey Dooley had to get permission from sheriff to 'take baby daughter to a brothel' MORE: Netflix fans disturbed by 'haunting' trailer for OceanGate sub documentary
Western Telegraph
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Tom Daley breaks silence on BBC's Celebrity Traitors
The Olympic diver has opened up about his time filming The Celebrity Traitors, which is set to come out this autumn. The gold medallist will be in the Scottish Highlands with 19 famous faces, including Sir Stephen Fry, Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross, Clare Balding and Kate Garraway. Tom said he got to know his fellow contestants on a 'much deeper' and 'very intense level' as they were all shut off from the world. How The Traitors TV Show Works Tom Daley breaks silence on BBC's Celebrity Traitors Speaking about The Celebrity Traitors, Tom told the PA news agency: 'I'm not sure when it comes out, maybe later this year, but it was a very fun experience. 'And honestly, all I want to do is talk about it, but I'm not allowed. 'All I can say is, it was very fun – the cast and meeting the other people. 'It was great to see everybody and get to know everyone on a much deeper level, and very intense level, because you're completely shut off from the rest of the world. So yeah, it was fun.' Tom. 31, also appears in the new Discovery+ documentary, Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds. The 90-minute documentary, the name of which references the time between platform exit and pool entry, charts Daley's career, from the build-up to his first Olympics in Beijing 2008 to post-retirement life. Noah Williams, Tom Daley and Matty Lee attending the screening for Tom Daley 1.6 Seconds (Image: James Manning/PA Wire) It features personal family films and candid interviews with the athlete and those closest to him, including his husband, Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. Full Celebrity Traitors line-up The full list of the celebrities taking part in Celebrity Traitors is: Sir Stephen Fry - English actor, broadcaster and comedian Alan Carr - Comedian Nick Mohammed - Ted Lasso actor (Nathan Shelley) Tom Daley - Olympian Joe Marler - England rugby player David Olusoga - Historian and BAFTA-winning filmmaker Niko Omilana - YouTuber and social media influencer Mark Bonnar - Line of Duty actor (DCC Mike Dryden) Jonathan Ross - Talk show host Joe Wilkinson - Comedian and actor Clare Balding - Sports broadcaster Lucy Beaumont - Comedian Paloma Faith - Singer Ruth Codd - Actress Tameka Empson - EastEnders actress (Kim Fox) Celia Imrie - Actress Charlotte Church - Singer Kate Garraway - Good Morning Britain presenter Cat Burns - Singer The official line up for The Celebrity Traitors (Image: BBC) Where is The Traitors filmed? The Traitors is filmed in the 19th-century Ardross Castle. Ardross is a rural area in the Highland region of Scotland, 30 miles north of Inverness. In 1983, the castle was bought by the McTaggart family, who still own it today. Outside of being the filming spot for The Traitors, the castle is also used as a wedding and conference venue. When is Celebrity Traitors on TV? The BBC has confirmed that Celebrity Traitors will air this autumn. The Celebrity Traitors official BBC synopsis: 'Claudia Winkleman has opened the castle doors to an all-star cast who are ready to play the ultimate game of deceit and betrayal… The celebrities will play the ultimate game of detection, backstabbing and trust, in the hope of… — The Traitors HQ (@the_traitors_) May 14, 2025 Hosted by Strictly Come Dancing's Claudia Winkleman, the nine-part celebrity version will give contestants the chance to win a cash prize of up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice. Recommended reading: The last three series of the UK version of The Traitors, set in Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, have seen people appointed traitors and faithfuls by Winkleman. The recent series saw project manager Jake Brown and former soldier Leanne Quigley win a prize pot of £94,600, after booting out a traitor in a final tense episode earlier this year. Finalists have a chance of winning a chunk of the £120,000 prize, but if a traitor survives until the very end, unidentified, they take home the full prize pot, and any faithfuls left go home with nothing.
Metro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
I found Tom Daley's new documentary huncomfortable – but it's a vital watch
There's an unbelievable moment of contrast at the start of Tom Daley's new Discovery+ documentary. Titled '1.6 Seconds,' which is the time it takes for an Olympic diver to hit the water from the 10m board, the feature-length project gives us a glimpse into Tom's early childhood in the form of grainy home videos shot by his father, Robert. After we learn that Tom was a 'nightmare kid' on competition trips because he often felt homesick, we see this tiny little child soaring through the air and disappearing beneath the surface of the water in a series of amazing clips. It's hard to believe someone who looks so superhuman could be vulnerable to something as mundane as homesickness. Dubbed by his early coach Andy Banks as 'something special', it quickly becomes apparent that this Plymouth boy cannot stop winning competitions. To combat this, his coaches move him up through the age groups in a bid to teach him a lesson, only for him to go on and win world championship after world championship. The segment is bookended by a video clip in which Tom stands alongside his diving competitors. Five places down, a behemoth of an athlete with biceps the size of Tom's torso steps forward to receive applause. This is who he was up against, and this is who he was beating. It's the type of moment that the public has come to expect from the odds-defying champion. Thanks in part to his effervescence and receptiveness to total strangers, like me, Tom has allowed everything from cameras and journalists to brands into his life with very little opposition. However, moving beyond his diving prowess, the new documentary seeks to explain how a five-time Olympic champion struggled throughout his early life. Despite representing Team GB at the 2008 Olympics at the age of just 13, we see how Tom was, bizarrely, subject to some horrific bullying when he returned to his school from Beijing. If being bullied wasn't hard enough, the teenager then had to constantly explain to news sites and journalists who were camped with cameras outside his school what he was going through. Directed by Vaughan Sivell, the doc does an excellent job of providing a meditation on what the public does to young sports stars who are just breaking through. It's honestly heartbreaking at times to see how our obsession with sportspeople can shroud and cloak a person's life. Tom describes how 'abusive' his relationship was with the media during the devastating loss of his father, who pictured him at the funeral when he specifically asked not to be. One uncomfortable segment shows viewers how Tom was never truly able to stop and grieve the loss of his father. He immediately went back to doing interviews and practising diving to distract himself from the emotional turmoil. This is doubled by a troubling part where Tom developed body dysmorphia after being told that he was 'fat' before the 2012 Olympics. He states: 'I took some drastic measures to make sure the food was in my stomach'. It culminates in a gut-wrenching moment when Tom reveals he was told by his management team as late as 2017 that he 'wouldn't want people thinking he was gay' as he started to hang around with his now husband, the Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. If his mental health hadn't already taken enough of a toll, crisis meetings with his manager about whether he was going to lose all of his sponsorships if he came out as gay certainly didn't help. More Trending However, with each tough moment in the documentary, Tom's triumphs in the world of diving and his determination to be himself every step of the way make this a necessary, even critical viewing experience. Tom's journey demonstrates that collectively, we have a responsibility to allow athletes to be human beings, not just Gold medal machines. View More » 1.6 Seconds is available to watch on Discovery Plus from June 1. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: The Celebrity Traitors line-up is a game-changing moment in television
