Adam Peaty has vowed to let his swimming do the talking following his high-profile wedding and family fallout. The three-time Olympic champion has been a fixture of gossip columns since he married Holly Ramsay, daughter of celebrity chef Gordon, in December last year.
That came amid a much-publicised rift with the majority of his family, which escalated after his mother, Caroline, was not invited to the bride's hen do. On the wedding day itself, paparazzi photographers clashed with bodyguards outside the venue, and a scuffle broke out before Gordon gave Holly away.
Peaty: 'The racer is the Adam people should see'
Peaty, who has taken on the Ramsay name, has conceded he and Holly have not handled the 'noise' surrounding their romance as well as they could have. But ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which starts on Thursday, he wants fans to focus on his exploits in the pool, declaring: 'That's the Adam people should see – the racer. Everything else is my private life.'
Peaty insists he welcomes the pressure that comes with being the biggest name in British swimming, telling The Independent: 'Pressure can be given to anyone, but it’s probably best in my hands because the more pressure I'm under, the better I perform.'
Managing the 'noise'
'At the same time, you need a strategy for managing the noise and we probably haven't done that as well as we could, but I'll make sure the swimming does the talking,' he said. 'We can't control every variable in life, but I can stand behind the blocks and not really care about what people's opinions are. Being at peace with a 100m or 50m breaststroke race is a beautiful place to be.'
'Nothing else matters in that moment. That's the beauty of sport. If you can find that state of mind, it’s an incredible place to be.'
Interest in Peaty’s private life – exacerbated by his recent announcement that he and his wife are expecting their first child – has ensured a tightly-controlled media build-up to the Commonwealth Games, where he is one of the few genuine stars due to compete.
Redefining success
His silver medal at the 2024 Olympics appeared to reaffirm his desire to continue on the big stage after a difficult 2023, in which he withdrew from a series of events to focus on mental health concerns. He said: 'I don't see success as medals anymore. That's not defeatist and it's not waving the white flag. It's probably the opposite. Success for me is coming away from Glasgow knowing I've done absolutely everything I possibly could to finish as high as I can.'
