When Adam Peaty won his first Olympic medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics, there was one person he wanted to thank above all, his mother Caroline.
For while the talented swimmer had to have the grit, determination and drive in order to become a gold medallist, he had relied on his mother’s support to get him there, with Caroline sacrificing her time, finances and many luxuries to support Adam’s Olympic dream.
At the time, Adam was sure to acknowledge this, stating parents are the ‘unsung heroes of our sport’, while his coach Melanie Marshall, declared: ‘Without the support of his parents, Adam wouldn’t have gone to Rio.’
Yet nine years on relations have soured between the pair, with Daily Mail exclusively revealing this week that Adam and his fiancée have Holly Ramsay have banned Caroline from their wedding after an astonishing family row.
The feud was sparked over Holly’s failure to invite her future mother-in-law to her hen party, while sources claim that ‘Adam has changed so much since he’s been with Holly.’
In a slap to the face to his doting parents, it’s said by a source close to the Peaty family that Adam ‘doesn’t feel his family is good enough for the new one he is now part of’, having been seduced by the fame and glamour of the Ramsay clan.
Adam Peaty’s mother Caroline gave up holidays, lie-ins and went into debt to fund his Olympic dream – only to be snubbed from his wedding (pictured alongside Adam’s father Mark)
It’s said that Adam ‘doesn’t feel his family is good enough for the new one he is now part of’ (Adam pictured with his fiancée Holly Ramsay and her parents Tana and Gordon)
If it weren’t for Caroline’s sacrifices, Adam would perhaps never have become an Olympic champion and been offered a spot on Strictly Come Dancing – where he met Holly backstage.
Adam – famously once scared of water – began swimming at his local club in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire but after breaking club records he was soon scouted and invited to City of Derby Swimming Club at age 14 for more intensive training.
The move, whilst beneficial for Adam’s progress, resulted in a lot more travel, and with his dad unable to drive, it was Caroline who bore the brunt of the training commitments.
‘I’d get up at four in the morning, drive him 40 minutes to Derby, sit and wait two hours while he was training, or go to Tesco, then drive him back again and do a full day’s work as a nursery manager,’ she recalled. ‘Then we’d do it again in the evening.’
‘I’ve always hated driving, my husband doesn’t drive, and I was so tired all the time.
‘But Adam’s willpower was stronger than mine and he’d say, “Come on Mum, no staying in bed.”‘
Money was tight, so their neighbours organised fund-raising barbecues and Christmas parties in the street, to pay for the petrol when he took part in national competitions.
Adam’s parents were also said to have gone into debt as a result of funding his career.
Eventually, Adam secured National Lottery funding of around £15,000 a year, which has risen to £30,000.
Adam’s family feud was sparked over Holly’s failure to invite her future mother-in-law to her hen party, with guests including mother Tana, sisters Megan and Tilly and Victoria Beckham
Their holidays also revolved around Adam’s career, with Caroline having never flown abroad until the Rio Olympics because all her annual leave had been used to travel the UK for Adam’s races.
Yet her jaunt to Brazil was certainly one to remember, with Adam walking away with a gold model in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke and silver in the Men’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay.
As he took to the podium and had his medal draped around his neck, Caroline was seen sobbing with pride, cheering him on alongside her husband Mark.
Adam’s coach, Melanie was quick to praise them at the time, saying: ‘All those journeys to Derby and back, day after day, were a huge stress for the family.
‘They didn’t realise how talented he was – they thought I was some crazy coach telling them to take him swimming at 4am. His family has been a huge part of his success.’
Despite giving up so much to help her son achieve his Olympic dreams, it was also Caroline who encouraged the swimmer to take a step back when she could see him struggling.
Adam has spoken publicly about his struggles with depression and alcoholism, that resulted in him taking a competitive break in 2023.
Speaking to the BBC, Caroline revealed she had ‘noticed a difference’ during her son’s time off and admitted ‘I want him to finish swimming to have some kind of normality.’
When Adam was 14 he was invited to City of Derby Swimming Club for more intensive training. The move resulted in a lot more travel, with Caroline taking him on the 40-minute trip daily
Caroline and Mark’s holidays also revolved around Adam’s career, with Caroline having never flown abroad until the Rio Olympics because all her annual leave had been used to travel the UK for Adam’s races
‘He was more like our Adam – he was like the son we sort of lost along the journey,’ she explained.
‘He [used to be] very focused, very insular and not very much for family. Swimming always came first, which it [had] to do.
‘But I know that he’s happy, he’s in the place he wants to be now and he’s more secure. He’s ready as he’ll ever be.
‘Knowing your child is suffering no matter how old they are is difficult. Adam is very happy now – I think he’s a better Adam personally than what he was before, the break has done him good.’
Adam returned to competition with the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he managed a silver medal in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke.
Again, his mother Caroline was there to cheer him on, but this time, so was his fiancée Holly.
The pair met on Strictly Come Dancing in 2021 when Adam and Holly’s younger sister Tilly were both competing on the series.
Adam split with his partner Eirianedd Munro, the mother of his son George, the following year.
He and Holly reportedly began dating in May 2023 and quickly confirmed their relationship the following month.
Adam returned to competition with the 2024 Paris Olympics. His mother Caroline was there to cheer him on with his son George, and this time, his fiancée Holly was also here
Yet now Holly, who is the daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, is said to be at the centre of a feud between Adam and his parents.
An insider close to the Peaty family claimed it seemed like Adam didn’t feel his nursery worker mother and caretaker father are ‘good enough for the new one he is now part of.’
They added: ‘Holly comes from a celebrity world, while his parents do not, and his ego and self-importance have grown. He’s no longer the lovely boy next door we all remember.’
The latest fallout was said to be sparked by Holly failing to invite future mother-in-law Caroline to her hen do last week, who stayed at home in Staffordshire, looking after her five-year-old grandson George.
Instead, Holly welcomed her own mother Tana, family friend Victoria Beckham and Adam’s sister to her pre-nuptial celebrations at the celebrity hotspot Soho Farmhouse.
A source close to Adam’s working-class family said the apparent snub happened after the swimmer, who was once close to his mother, had distanced himself from her after being seduced by the fame and glamour of the Ramsays.
The ill-feeling was apparently made worse by Adam inviting his future father-in-law Gordon to his own stag night while his mother was not asked to attend his bride’s stylish celebrations in the Cotswolds.
His aunt Louise Williams exposed the heartbreak over her sister being left off the guest list last weekend by hitting out at Holly in a public Instagram post which accused her of being ‘divisive and hurtful’.
Louise blasted Holly over the snub to her future mother-in-law who had ‘opened her home and heart to you’, saying it had inflicted ‘a hurt on my sister that will take a very long time to heal if ever’.
Adam split with his partner Eirianedd Munro, the mother of his son George, a year after meeting Holly backstage on Strictly , where he was competing alongside Holly’s sister Tilly
Her post 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.
‘A woman who opened her home and heart to you. You decided, for whatever reason, not to invite her, your prospective mother-in-law to your hen night yet Adam invited his father-in-law, your dad, to his stag night.
‘You invited your mum (quite rightly) and even your mum’s assistant, your sisters, your friends, my niece, but not my sister, your future mother-in-law.
‘I have also seen messages passing between her and Adam about this and other matters and, quite frankly, I expected better of you and definitely of Adam. You have inflicted a hurt on my sister that will take a very long time to heal if ever.’
The post is said to have deeply upset Holly and world champion swimmer Adam, who are due to get married at Bath Abbey at Christmas.
A source close to the Peaty family revealed that the swimmer had left his mother ‘heartbroken’ after her sister’s post by contacting her to ban her from the wedding and to tell her she would not see his son George or any future grandchildren again.
In another message to his mother, seen by the Daily Mail, Adam stated his intention to disown his family, despite them having supported him throughout his career.
Caroline waded into the incredible row by expressing her distress in an Instagram post which stated: ‘Crying is a way your eyes speak when your mouth can’t explain how broken your heart is.’
Victoria Beckham was among the guests at Holly’s hen party last weekend, but Caroline didn’t make the cut
Adam’s aunt Louise Williams exposed the heartbreak over her sister being left off the guest list last weekend by hitting out at Holly in a public Instagram post
The Olympian’s mum posted on her Instagram profile: ‘Crying is a way your eyes speak when your mouth can’t explain how broken your heart is’
Caroline also took to Instagram on Monday to share a cryptic image that read: ‘When you love someone, you protect them from the pain, you don’t become the cause of it’
Her post attracted messages of support and concern from friends including one who commented: ‘Don’t let them drag you down Caroline.’
The same person added in a further comment: ‘You know considering they are both supposed to be mental health advocates they don’t seem to be showing much regard for yours.’
The remark was a reference to the well-publicised mental health struggles of Holly and world champion Adam who took a competitive break from swimming in 2023 after ‘three years of hell’ which saw him battle depression and alcoholism.
A source told Daily Mail: ‘Caroline is devastated by the rift and doesn’t know what she has done wrong.
‘Adam’s relationship with his mum and dad Mark are at an all-time low, and now she’s not coming to the wedding,
‘She had been so excited and really wanted to be involved and had offered to make lovely table setting name plates, as she is a skillful craftswoman, but she was told her help wasn’t needed.
‘As time has gone on, things have become strained and there have been rows, the tension has been very fraught. Caroline is in pieces and is absolutely heartbroken that it’s gotten to this point.
‘Caroline and Mark put Adam’s career above everything and supported him through thick and thin so for their relationship to have crumbled is so upsetting.
‘They feel that Adam started to grow distant from his family after he met Holly and they started to become more serious. There is a feeling that money is an issue.
‘His family are working class and proud – it’s a stark contrast to the Ramsay family and some members of the family have said it feels like Adam is ashamed of them.’
The source said it was believed that the only member of Adam’s family now due to attend the wedding is his sister Bethany, with nobody else being able to afford the hotel costs.
Holly and Adam declined to comment when approached by Daily Mail.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the rift being made public, Caroline took to Instagram to share a cryptic post that read: ‘When you love someone, you protect them from the pain, you don’t become the cause of it.’
She captioned the post: ‘The ones I love are the people who hurt me the most.’
Caroline also ‘liked’ a comment from one of her followers who wrote: ‘How awful for you! Hopefully one day he will realise that loving mums should be held in high regard. No woman should try to stop that.’
