Adam Peaty has spoken for the first time about the long-running rift with his family, telling The Guardian that he will only allow them back into his life when he "feels they have improved as people".
Wedding rift
The 31-year-old Olympian's wedding to influencer Holly Ramsay at Bath Abbey on December 27 last year was overshadowed by the family fallout, with his mother Caroline reportedly banned from the ceremony. None of his relatives attended except his sister Bethany.
His mother was also said to have been left out of the bride's hen party at Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire earlier last year. His parents, Caroline and Mark, are now reportedly seeking reconciliation after Adam took bronze at his fourth Commonwealth Games, having previously won gold three times.
'Forgive but not forget'
Speaking to The Guardian, Adam, who became a Christian in 2023, said his faith requires forgiveness, but reconciliation must come on his own terms.
"For me, as a Christian, there has to be forgiveness. It doesn’t mean you have to forget, but forgiveness takes time..." he said. "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."
He added: "I wouldn’t say on me because I’ve got a thick skin. But I care about my wife, I care about my son [George, five, from his relationship with ex-girlfriend Eirianedd Munro]."
Family plea
Adam was cheered on at Glasgow's Hydro Arena by his pregnant wife Holly, while his parents reportedly watched from home in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire.
An insider told the Daily Mail: "Adam blaming his family for his failure at the Commonwealth Games is not right. Our message is ‘Come home and talk to your mother. You know your mum will forgive you! Please don't hurt her any more...’
"You both need to heal. Even the public are turning against you. You have to be careful what you put out in the universe because it always comes back at you threefold.
"We never thought you would treat your family the way you have. All we have done is love you and support you."
After his bronze medal, his mother Caroline wrote: "We continue to support Adam from afar. He’s our son whom 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."
Emotional finish
Last week, Adam broke down in tears after missing out on the 100m win at the Commonwealth Games. When a BBC reporter asked: "I can see you’re emotional. Can you just explain what those emotions are after that?" he looked unimpressed.
He said: "Really? I think… I don’t know. I think I just worked a lot harder than what it says on the scoreboard, to be honest, but I think you’ve got to understand that that is this sport. You don’t get more than a minute to prove yourself. Make one mistake and it’s over. I don’t know, I just think I deserve more. I know sport isn’t about what you deserve, or even what you work for.
"I think you’ve got to keep it in perspective that we’ve still got four days left of this competition, and we’ve got Europeans, and emotion is expensive, but I just know I’m a better athlete than that."
