The red heart, to many, might just be a commonly used emoji.
But that one tiny symbol is about to prompt the latest round in the family feud that seems to be wrecking Olympic swimming superstar Adam Peaty and Holly Ramsay’s forthcoming wedding plans.
At the centre of the drama is Adam’s heartbroken mother Caroline, who has been ‘banned’ from his wedding to chef Gordon Ramsay’s daughter Holly.
This is the same dedicated mother who got up at 4am every day for years to take her boy to the pool, helping him to become a triple Olympic champion.
Yet, while Adam has turned his back on his own mother – a decision he will surely regret – she has found an unlikely ally in his ex-girlfriend, which should have Gordon very worried.
While Gordon is surrounded by A-list stars, including the Beckhams, Caroline is assembling her own team.
Eirianedd Munro, 27, the mother of Adam’s five-year-old son George, is firmly in Caroline’s camp, despite having split from the swimmer in 2022.
Caroline and Eirianedd have always supported each other by liking and commenting on each other’s social media posts – and the latest row with the Ramsays has only made their bond stronger.
Adam Peaty with his now ex, artist Eirianedd Munro, who is firmly in Caroline’s camp, despite having split from the swimming champion in 2022
The former couple with their son George, who is now five
Eirianedd, who these days rarely posts on Instagram, shared a series of gorgeous images of herself, her mother and George from a recent family wedding they attended.
The artist stunned in a burgundy satin gown with a daring thigh-high split, while George looked adorable in a beige shirt, brown trousers and braces.
She captioned the wholesome post: ‘We love because HE first loved us.’
Caroline rushed to comment: ‘Your mum looks beautiful as do u all x’.
Eirianedd, who lives in Wales with George, her sister and other family members, responded to the comment: ‘Doesn’t she, thank you’, along with a red heart emoji.
Her support will not have gone unnoticed by Caroline, who has been left heartbroken by the bitter rift that has emerged this week between her family and her son’s future in-laws.
A source tells me: ‘Caroline and Eirianedd always stayed in touch. Caroline adores her grandson and he has been the bond between her and Eirianedd.
‘Adam and Eirianedd had a more normal life, it wasn’t A-list like his is now. There weren’t the kind of problems between them all that there are with Caroline, Adam and Holly.
‘Caroline is devastated, so it’s nice to see her having any support like this.
‘You couldn’t find two more different women than Holly and Eirianedd. They are chalk and cheese.’
Adam and Holly Ramsay met on the set of strictly Come Dancing when he and Holly’s sister, Tilly, were contestants
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Caroline was devastated when she was not invited to Holly’s hen do at glitzy Soho Farmhouse in the Cotswolds, attended by her mum Tana, Adam’s sister Bethany and Victoria Beckham.
Instead, the former nursery manager spent the weekend looking after George. On her way home from dropping George off with his mum in Birmingham, Caroline says she reached rock bottom.
‘I was crying all the way home,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘I got home and told Mark [her husband] that for the first time in my life, I felt I didn’t want to live.
‘That’s how low this has made me. I’m a strong woman and I can get through anything, but this has broken me.’
No wonder Caroline’s sister, former lawyer Louise Williams, took to Instagram to fire off a very public volley of criticism at Holly.
Adam’s aunt stated: ‘@hollyramsayy I’m so glad that you had a great hen do. As a bride, you deserve that. However, as a person you were divisive and hurtful towards a woman who I have loved and continue to love deeply.’
She closed: ‘You have inflicted a hurt on my sister that will take a very long time to heal if ever.’
Caroline Peaty and her husband Mark – along with other family members – have since been ‘disinvited’ from the lavish wedding ceremony at Bath’s historic Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul on December 27
Caroline was devastated when she was not invited to Holly’s hen do at glitzy Soho Farmhouse in the Cotswolds, attended by her mum Tana, Adam’s sister Bethany and Victoria Beckham
Caroline and husband Mark – along with other family members – have since been ‘disinvited’ from the lavish wedding ceremony at Bath’s historic Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul on December 27.
They have also had invitations withdrawn from Boxing Day drinks with the Ramsays the day before.
Quite what Eirianedd makes of the saga is anyone’s guess – she has turned down numerous offers to tell her story and seemingly wants to stay out of the drama.
Adam split with her in 2022, three years after the pair met on Tinder while Adam was training in Loughborough, where Eirianedd was a student.
Announcing the news via social media, Adam wrote: ‘Eiri and George, I’m sorry for letting you down. My only interest is for the wellbeing of our family at this difficult time.’
Eirianedd took to her own social media to announce the split, predicting she would face an ‘incredibly difficult’ future.
Their split was in part put down to the infamous ‘Strictly curse’, after Adam raised eyebrows with his on-screen chemistry with pro-partner Katya Jones on the dance floor.
But his brother James insisted the split was not due to his sibling’s appearance on the hit BBC dance show, insisting: ‘He was in it over a year ago. It has nothing to do with Strictly.’
Adam met Holly on the set of Strictly Come Dancing in 2021 – her younger sister Tilly was also a contestant. They reportedly began dating in May 2023 and quickly confirmed their relationship the following month.
Caroline recently broke her silence to the Daily Mail on the bitter rift that has emerged between her family and the one her son is marrying into.
She told us: ‘I know it’s the end. But please, the message I want Adam to hear is no matter what happens in the future, please know I love you, your dad loves you, you can come home and talk to me at any point.
‘There’s nothing you’ve done that I would not forgive. I love you so much.
‘I hope your marriage is a good one, I don’t wish any ill on you and I want you and Holly to have a long and happy marriage, like your dad and me. The reason I’m speaking out is I want all this to end.’
Caroline is acutely aware of how different her world is from the one her son now inhabits, and the family are said to be worried sick about the power and influence of the Ramsay family.
‘He’s in Gordon’s clutches,’ Caroline said. ‘I can’t help but feel like they are pulling him away from me. Their family is very insular.’
