The personal turmoil surrounding Olympic gold medallist Adam Peaty has reportedly extended beyond his highly publicised family rift and into his close friendships. Following a sad feud with his mother, Caroline, in the lead-up to his wedding, it is claimed Peaty also fell out with and disinvited fellow Team GB swimmer Michael Gunning from his nuptials.
Wedding Snub Leaves Friend 'Broken'
Adam Peaty married television personality Holly Ramsay, daughter of chef Gordon Ramsay, in a ceremony at Bath Abbey on Saturday, 27 December. The event was notably missing several of Peaty's family members, including his mother, who was reportedly disinvited.
Now, sources claim the fallout also impacted his friendship with Michael Gunning, a former training partner. Gunning was allegedly uninvited from the wedding, a move that reportedly left him feeling devastated. Following the reports, Gunning shared a reflective social media post stating he had been "dropped by friends and left broken by them" as he looked back on his year.
An insider suggested to The Sun that the snub was linked to Gunning remaining close to Peaty's mother, Caroline, during the wedding drama. The source claimed Peaty had "broken us all by acting this way" and that the action "says it all" about how much the champion swimmer has changed.
Previous Tensions Over Business Expansion
This was not the first time Gunning felt let down by Peaty. Reports indicate he previously felt "betrayed" in 2024 when Peaty's swim academy, AP Race, expanded into Saudi Arabia.
Michael Gunning, who came out as gay in 2018 and is recognised as the UK's first openly gay, mixed-race swimmer, is a vocal advocate for LGBT+ rights. Same-sex relations are illegal in Saudi Arabia, with punishments potentially including death.
A source close to the situation explained the profound impact of the business move: "Michael fights so hard for LGBT rights, so the Saudi Arabia move was a dagger to the heart. It left him feeling devastated and betrayed." The source added that many in the swimming community were upset Gunning was no longer part of the AP Race team. Notably, Gunning's role as an outspoken ambassador for the academy ceased after its acquisition of a Saudi swimming school in August 2024.
Cryptic Messages and Family Strife
The reports emerge alongside continued signs of the rift within Peaty's own family. On New Year's Eve, his mother Caroline shared cryptic posts that appeared to reference her estrangement from her son.
One post urged taking "each day as it comes," while a more poignant second quote read: "I won't end this year pretending everything was fine. I lost a piece of myself this year that I will never get back... I'll be praying for peace... real peace, the kind that lets me breathe without fighting for it."
Speaking to MailOnline just before the wedding, Caroline Peaty expressed her deep hurt, saying, "I don’t think they understand how much they have hurt me; it’s as if they have cut my heart out." The combination of family discord and the alleged fracture of a key friendship paints a complex picture of the champion swimmer's personal life as he begins his married life with Holly Ramsay.
