Tom Daley appears again: ‘My management said if I came out, I’d lose sponsorship’

Born in Plymouth in 1994, Tom Daley is Britain’s maximum embellished diver. He used to be 13 when he made historical past as Britain’s youngest competitor on the 2008 Olympics, and the next 12 months turned into a global champion. He received gold on the Tokyo Olympics along with his synchronised diving spouse, Matty Lee, ahead of retiring from diving in 2024. He is married to the screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, with whom he has two sons. The documentary, Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds, is to be had to circulate on Discovery+ from 1 June.

I was obsessed with dressed in tea towels. I’d make certain the material used to be utterly lined-up and tucked in smartly. If it used to be within the slightest bit ruffled or messy, I might get disappointed and rip it off and check out it in all places once more. This used to be the start of my perfectionism – and most likely the primary indicators that I will not be 100% directly.

My mum says that as a child, I used to be very candy however I knew what I sought after. What did I need? To do the most efficient I may at the rest that I attempted. That is nonetheless my mentality lately. If I’m going to check out one thing and it doesn’t figure out completely, I don’t have tantrums any longer, however I do get pissed off. That’s the article about being an athlete: being excellent isn’t sufficient – it’s important to be the most efficient. It’s now not one thing you’ll be able to educate, however each athlete who will get to an Olympic degree has that very same power. We know our flaws ahead of any one else can level them out.

I used to be seven once I began diving. I liked the water however discovered swimming up and down somewhat bit dull – diving used to be a lot more a laugh. I began out leaping off the facet of the pool, then attempted the one-metre. The first time I attempted the 10-metre platform I used to be 8 years previous. I take into accout crawling to the threshold as a result of I used to be too scared to stroll – the board perceived to scale back in measurement with each step and all of sudden seemed like a tightrope. I used to be peering off into the water, considering: “There’s no way I can jump off this.” But as soon as I used to be within the air, there used to be no going again. It used to be a surreal and euphoric second – freefalling for 1.6 seconds. As quickly because it used to be over, I knew I sought after to do it once more.

My youth used to be sensible. I used to be all the time open air, and we used to head for weekends away in our caravan in Newquay. I felt very secure, liked and cared for. Because I used to be so pleased with my circle of relatives, I used to hate travelling for competitions – I might get so homesick. It used to be terrifying to be at the different facet of the planet out of your oldsters whilst you’re 10 years previous – particularly when everybody else competing used to be a lot older. I will be able to’t consider how painful it used to be for my oldsters to listen to their son crying at the finish of the telephone.

My dad Rob used to be my largest cheerleader. He would paintings all day, select me up from college, take me to the pool and keep all night time till I ended coaching. He can be there for each festival. We had been a staff, and it used to be our dream in combination. He used to be nice at educating me about point of view: if I bombed out at a contest, he would say: “You came 30th, but you’re still the 30th best in the world.”

When dad died [of a brain tumour in 2011], I went to coaching the following morning. I carried on competing with no right kind smash. Maybe it’s a British factor, however me and my circle of relatives wouldn’t discuss his passing that a lot. It’s as though we didn’t need to disappointed any person, or cause them to really feel uncomfortable. I additionally felt that I needed to be the robust one – the one who may toughen my circle of relatives. It used to be best once I met my husband Lance, and he would ask why I didn’t discuss my dad, that I allowed myself the gap to grieve. And it nonetheless hits me now, particularly when the ones primary milestones occur. He neglected me profitable my first Olympic medal, my wedding ceremony, my first son’s start.

Lance and I met at a dinner in 2013. We talked and talked till we each realised how an identical our lives had been. He had simply misplaced his brother; I’d misplaced my dad. He had simply received his Oscar; I had simply received an Olympic medal. It used to be the primary time I may bitch about good fortune to anyone who knew I wasn’t in point of fact complaining about good fortune. I used to be complaining about how you can take care of what occurs at the different facet – the power and expectancies. Knowing that not anything would ever evaluate to that feeling once more.

I met Lance in March and got here out to the media 9 months later. I don’t suppose I might ever have mentioned the rest about my non-public lifestyles until I had met somebody like Lance. Once we fell in love, I knew I couldn’t stay it a secret. It used to be completely terrifying, posting the video on YouTube, as a result of my control on the time had now not been encouraging, and informed me that I used to be going to lose my sponsorship. It used to be a horrifying factor to do, however as soon as it used to be available in the market I used to be satisfied. It took the entire power off. I may well be me for the primary time.

In 2024, I competed on the Paris Olympics, this time with my sons in tow. Being a dad used to be nonetheless my precedence, so I needed to take care of operating on low sleep. I went to mattress at 8 o’clock, as a result of I didn’t know the way repeatedly I’d be up within the night time. I’d wake early for coaching however would make certain I used to be house to lend a hand Lance with bedtime. I all the time discovered it extremely tricky to depart them for competitions, and I carried a way of guilt with me. My husband is so supportive, and he’s sacrificed so much for me. But now I’ve retired, it’s his second. He’s like: “It’s my turn to get my career back on track!”

I’ve been an athlete for many of my lifestyles, so it’s taking time to regulate to my new fact. I’m so used to being disciplined that even supposing I’m out for dinner on a Saturday night time, and somebody asks if I’d like a pitcher of wine, it takes me a 2nd to understand I’m in reality allowed to. Food is similar. When I used to be about to visit the 2012 Olympics, I used to be informed by means of a trainer that I had to shed pounds. After that, I had some problems with consuming issues. At the time it used to be one thing that males didn’t in point of fact discuss, so I saved it to myself and felt very by myself. Once I used to be in a position to get the correct dietary toughen and discovered extra about what my frame wanted, and how you can gasoline it, then my restoration began to spread. But actually, that comments nonetheless impacts me lately. I know how I will be able to glance, and the way I did really feel, at my height. Now that I’m now not coaching six hours an afternoon, six days per week, I’m by no means going to be in that very same shape.

When I take a look at this photograph, I suppose about how blameless I glance. The boy within the photograph has no sense of what society thinks is true or unsuitable. I may are living and be at liberty and loose. I’m so satisfied my oldsters had been the type of individuals who celebrated whoever I used to be; an Olympian diver or a boy who preferred to put on tea towels round his waist.