The wedding of Olympic champion Adam Peaty to television personality Holly Ramsay was intended to be a day of celebration. Instead, the ceremony at Bath Abbey on December 28, 2025, became the centre of a very public and painful family dispute, after the majority of the swimmer's relatives were excluded from the guest list.
A Lavish Ceremony Overshadowed by Absence
Around 200 guests, including celebrities and close friends, gathered at the historic Bath Abbey to witness the union of the 31-year-old swimmer and his 25-year-old bride. While Holly's family, including her father, TV presenter Gordon Ramsay, played a prominent role, most of Adam Peaty's own family were conspicuously absent. The rift, primarily between Adam and his mother Caroline, led to a series of dramatic retaliations from his estranged relatives on the day itself.
Cryptic Social Media Messages and a Symbol of Distress
In the hours following the ceremony, Adam's brother James posted a pointed message on his Instagram story. He shared an old photograph of himself with their mother, Caroline, standing outside Bath Abbey. The image was accompanied by a remix of Speak Softly, Love, the iconic theme from The Godfather film trilogy, a saga centred on family loyalty and retribution. The story was deleted after just 15 minutes, and James subsequently wiped his entire Instagram account clean.
Further speculation was sparked when other relatives were believed to have flown a Union Jack flag upside down outside their home. An inverted Union Jack is internationally recognised as a distress signal, leading many to interpret the act as a public display of the family's anguish over the wedding snub.
Heartbreaking Texts and a 'Humiliating' Invitation
The most direct confrontation reportedly came moments before Adam was due to walk down the aisle. According to reports, the swimmer received a devastating text message from his aunt, Louise, just as he was about to enter the abbey holding the hand of his five-year-old son, George.
The message read: “I hope you never suffer the depth of pain you have put your mother through and despite it all she loves you still. Shame on you both. Shame. Remember on this, your happiest day, and on each anniversary of your happiest day, that you hurt your mum so deeply her soul screams.”
Insiders revealed that Adam's father, Mark, was the only immediate family member offered an invitation, but under contentious conditions. He was allegedly told he could attend but would have to sit at the very back of the church, behind other guests' plus-ones. A source described the situation as "humiliating" and "disgusting." In the end, Mark did not attend.
The Aftermath and a Family Divided
The fallout from the dispute meant that the majority of the Peaty family remained at their home in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire—approximately 150 miles from Bath—while the wedding took place. Adam's sister, Bethany, was the sole member of his immediate family present, having been asked to serve as one of Holly Ramsay's bridesmaids.
The series of events transformed what should have been a joyous occasion into a stark public illustration of a deep familial breakdown. The retaliations from his family, ranging from symbolic social media posts to searingly personal text messages, have left the Olympic gold medallist's private rift exposed for all to see.
