Adam Peaty is reportedly facing another "crisis" after his family fallout, with his wife Holly Ramsay and her parents Gordon and Tana said to be supporting him.
The Olympic swimmer returned to the pool for the Commonwealth Games and then competed in the European Aquatics Championships, where he placed fifth in the 100m breaststroke and fourth in the mixed medley relay. He also failed to qualify for the 50m breaststroke semi-final in the same championships.
Family feud and wedding fall-out
Talk has been about his growing feud with his family as well as his performance in the pool. It all began last year, when his parents were uninvited to his wedding to Holly Ramsay.
Months on, the feud rumbles on, with Adam recently seemingly referencing the noise that surrounds his swimming career. Now, the Ramsay family - including parents-in-law Gordon and Tana Ramsay and wife Holly Ramsay - have been supporting him as he considers what to do next after a tough run in the swimming heats.
Source on the pressure and time out
A source told The Sun: "But to have built himself back up again after the disappointment in Glasgow, only to crash out in Paris, is beyond brutal. The pressure on him as a triple Olympic champion and world-record holder is huge, and this year he also had the pressure of knowing what success in the pool would do for his profile outside of it."
"To have fallen short on such a prominent stage has been crushing for him and he is taking some time out. There has been a complete blackout around him for the past week and he is being supported by the close-knit circle around him who will help him work out where he wants to go from here. There is also lot of thought going into how he and Holly now handle this publicly."
Adam's own words on tough skin and values
In a recent interview, Adam said he has "tough skin" as he doubled down on his morals amid the family feud.
"I've got very tough skin that has been built quite aggressively over this last six months especially. But for me, it doesn't really matter, to be honest. I know what my values are. I know what my morals are. I know my principles," he insisted.
"I can look myself in the mirror and be at peace with myself, knowing the person I am." Turning the conversation back to swimming, he added: "I think a lot of athletes try and seek that as much as they can. But at the end of the day, no matter what way we look at it, it's two lengths of a swimming pool. We're just trying to do it as fast as we can."
Elsewhere in the chat with BBC Breakfast, Adam responded to host Naga Munchetty's comments that people did like him. He admitted that he is well aware that some people don't like him but he is trying to be better every day.
"Sometimes I don't feel like [people do like me], to be honest. But I'm just me. I try and be a little bit better than I was yesterday. And if people agree with that, then fine. If people don't, then that's also fine," he shared.
