Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty has addressed the ongoing feud between himself and his family
Adam Ramsay-Peaty has spoken out about his family estrangement. He has suggested that a reconciliation may be possible – but only if he believes they have “improved as people”.
The swimmer and Strictly Come Dancing star, who is married to Holly Ramsay, daughter of TV chef Gordon, spoke following what he described as a “real rollercoaster of a week” at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he picked up two bronzes and a silver.
Following the 100m breaststroke final, Peaty broke down in tears and hit back at his critics, declaring “you can’t hurt me” and insisting they needed to “do better.”
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In a Guardian interview published on Saturday, Peaty, 31, addressed the personal tensions between himself and his family, including mum Caroline and dad Mark, which emerged in the lead-up to his December 2025 wedding to Holly, 26.
When asked whether a reconciliation with his family was possible, Peaty said: “For me, as a Christian, there has to be forgiveness. It doesn’t mean you have to forget, but forgiveness takes time.
“I’m not saying that it won’t get better but it has to come from a place where I feel like they’ve improved as people, in a sense, and opened that communication up. I haven’t told one thing to the media. I haven’t done one story over the last eight months and more.”
On whether the very public falling-out, which has played out extensively in the press, has taken a toll on him, Peaty said: “I wouldn’t say on me because I’ve got a thick skin.
“But I care about my wife, I care about my son. I care about the relationships that people think I have with my son, and my own family, but that’s my private life.”
The swimming star has a son, who is nearly six, from a previous relationship, and a daughter due in December. He also spoke out in an interview following his 100m breaststroke final in Glasgow.
Expressing his disappointment at finishing third, he said: “It’s hard because I know how hard I work. I know the s**t I’ve been through, which is no fault of my own, but it does take its toll.
“I’m not crying because it’s bronze instead of gold. I’m crying because I know I am better than that. I feel like I couldn’t have put any more in and that’s where it hurts, because I’m like, ‘What’s the point of all the metres every day, what’s the point of being exhausted all the time?
“What’s the point of having to say no to family events so you can go to training’? It has to mean something and for me it has to be human excellence and that is not excellence for me.
“So that’s the emotion that is unfortunately coming out. [Holly] is always going to be proud of me and I think as a father, it doesn’t matter if you come home with a gold, as long as you come home with a teddy.”
Peaty’s mum Caroline posted afterwards: “I forgive people but that doesn’t mean I accept their behaviour or trust them. I forgive them for me, so I can let go and move on with my life.”
The swimmer’s relationship with his parents soured in the lead-up to their December wedding, reportedly after his mum expressed her hurt at being excluded from wife Holly’s lavish hen-party in the Cotswolds.
Victoria Beckham received an invitation to join the celebrations at Soho Farmhouse, yet Caroline was allegedly asked to stay at home and care for Peaty’s son from a previous relationship instead.
She was told she would not be welcome at the wedding at Bath Cathedral, while the Olympian’s father was informed he could attend only if he remained at the back of the church. He declined the offer, and on the day, only Peaty’s sister Bethany was present from his side of the family.
Caroline has previously acknowledged speaking to a newspaper about her son during the early stages of their falling-out, but insists she has not spoken publicly about him since, and has hinted she’s ready to build bridges.
She said: “He’s our son who we love, whom we supported to reach his aspirations. Our love, our time, our sacrifices were given freely with no expectation of financial reward just genuinely given with the love as any mother and father would do for their child.”
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