Adam Peaty has doubled down on his family feud, insisting he has built a tough skin over the last few months. The Olympic swimmer appeared on BBC Breakfast with Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt, where he issued a defiant message about the ongoing rift with his parents, who were uninvited to his wedding to Holly Ramsay last year.
"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 said. "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."
Preparing for fatherhood
Discussing the upcoming arrival of his baby with wife Holly, Peaty was asked about sleepless nights and how they might affect his training. "Thankfully, I've got an incredible wife and an incredible support circle around me," he said on BBC Breakfast. "When you have children, they do take a lot of work - in the sense of a lot of energy, and you're gonna miss a lot of sleep. But I think we've also got to look at the other side of things. What an incredible gift and an incredible blessing."
Despite his rigorous training ahead of the next Olympics, Peaty knows he has his family's support. He shared: "I know these next two years that we'll get a formula. We may not find it instantly. I don't want to get lost of just being an athlete. I do wanna get lost in being a father and being a husband and that is okay."
Public perception
Elsewhere in the chat, Peaty responded to host Naga Munchetty's comments that people did like him. He admitted 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. "I don't have to agree with everyone. I just want people to know that I actually give my best every single day."
