Olympic swimming champion Adam Peaty is facing a hidden emotional struggle following his decision to change his surname after marrying Holly Ramsay, a leading expert has exclusively revealed.
A Lavish Wedding and a Family Divide
The former Olympian, 31, tied the knot with television chef Gordon Ramsay's daughter in a lavish festive ceremony at Bath Abbey in Somerset in late December 2025. While new photos shared by Vogue magazine show the couple beaming, the joyous occasion was marred by a notable absence.
Adam Peaty's mother, Caroline, was banned from the guestlist, with his sister Bethany being the only member of his immediate family in attendance. This followed a reported fallout, which some sources suggest began over a wedding dress purchase.
The Ramsay family's presence dominated the day, with Gordon Ramsay himself delivering a fiery speech. He reportedly told his new son-in-law he was a "lucky man" before making a pointed remark about Holly's parents, saying: "Shame you don't have the same," in an apparent dig at Adam's absent family.
Holly Ramsay has since defended her father's speech, telling Vogue: "Listening to dad's speech, looking around the room and feeling overwhelmed with the love and the happiness on our guests' faces."
The 'Angst' of a Name Change
Amid the family tension, Adam Peaty made a significant personal change. On Sunday, 28 December 2025, he updated his Instagram profile to show his new surname as 'Ramsay Peaty'.
Photographs from the wedding, published by Vogue, show this new namesake was planned in advance, appearing on wedding stationery including a sign for 'Ramsay Peaty's Bar'.
However, body language and communications expert Judi James warns this decision would not have been easy. She told The Mirror: "Adam's name change seems to have been one of them and it has probably cost him a lot of angst to get 'right'.
"By adding his wife's name, not in the more usual double-barrel, and putting it first, it could easily be seen to be symbolic of moving his own family name further away."
A Lifetime of Difficult Decisions Ahead
Judi James explained that the family rift places Adam in a position of ongoing emotional conflict. She stated: "A fall-out with family means murky, heart-breakingly complex calls about everything from sending birthday cards to making visits during illness or crisis. Every decision will have deep significance to both sides."
The expert suggested the name change could be viewed as a compromise, noting: "He could have dropped his family name altogether, so using both might have been a desire to make everyone as happy as possible in a very difficult time."
The feud was painfully highlighted when Caroline Peaty marked her 60th birthday without her son in the lead-up to the wedding. Instead, Adam spent the festive period on a Christmas holiday in Finland with the Ramsay family, enjoying sleigh rides and viewings of the Northern Lights.
On New Year's Eve, Caroline shared her heartbreak on social media, writing she had "lost a piece of myself" and was "praying for peace in 2026".
Judi James concluded that without a swift reconciliation, Adam faces a challenging path: "Every photo posted or birthday card sent or unsent will need to be evaluated from both his wife and his own family's point of view now. There are no emotional winners in situations like this, sadly."
The newlyweds are currently on their honeymoon in Mauritius, a gift from the Ramsay family.
