Adam Ramsay-Peaty snubs his estranged family while paying tribute to his wife Holly for supporting him during ‘whirlwind’ 24 hours as she watches him reach 50m breaststroke final after 100m heartbreak
Adam Ramsay-Peaty paid tribute to his wife Holly for supporting him during a ‘whirlwind’ 24 hours, after he missed out on 100m breaststroke gold at the Commonwealth Games.
The Olympian returned to the pool on Sunday evening to compete in the 50m breaststroke semi-final, with his pregnant wife proudly watching on, and a second placed finish booking him a spot in the final race on Monday night.
After his 100m loss, Adam broke down in tears in an emotional interview that saw him take aim at his estranged family, saying that his fallout with them ‘has taken its toll’.
But the swimmer said his performance was ‘much better’ during his 50m run, and during his post-race interview, he was asked who he turned to for support while he strived to bounce back from his 100m swim.
The swimmer failed to mention his family, and instead praised Holly, who is pregnant with her first child, and his close friends for being there for him.
Friends of Adam’s mother, Caroline, told the Daily Mail that she’s heartbroken after not being able to watch her son compete in Glasgow.
Adam Ramsay-Peaty has paid tribute to his wife Holly for supporting him during a ‘whirlwind’ 24 hours, after he missed out on 100m breastroke gold at the Commonwealth Games
Holly watched on as Adam swam in the 50m breaststroke semi-final, and a second place finish for the swimmer booked him a place in Monday’s final
Adam said: ‘The last 24 hours have been a bit of a whirlwind, not something I’m not used to.
‘But I guess in sport, it’s not really about when you get beat down because it’s going to be inevitable, that you do that, you make mistakes, it’s how it takes you to look at that, perspective, turn it around for tonight and I’m really happy for that. On a great trajectory for tomorrow.’
Asked who he leans on for support, Adam continued: ‘It was a lot of people I talk to, obviously my wife, my coach, my best mate Ed. You’ve got your friends, your teammates.
‘The best way to get everything out in my head, is to just write it out, I write down what is going wrong, what is going right, what can I change, what can’t I change and then I’ve got a battle plan.
‘I can go ”right I can do with this’,’ take it into tomorrow. So even now I’m thinking, what’s part of that battle plan.’
Adam broke down in tears and went home with a bronze medal when he finished in third place in the 100m breaststroke final on Saturday night.
In an interview after his defeat, Adam acknowledged the family feud and said the fallout ‘has taken its toll’.
‘It’s hard because I know how hard I’ve worked,’ Adam cried. ‘I know the s**t I’ve been through, which is no fault of my own. It does take a toll.’
The roots of the family conflict go back to 2024, when Adam and Holly snubbed wider members of the Peaty family by not inviting them to their engagement party and their wedding.
The mother-to-be was present in the stands as Adam returned to the pool for his semi-final
Holly sported an all-black look as she attended the race, with Adam praising her for supporting him after he missed out on his 100m win
The swimmer said his performance was ‘much better’ during his 50m run, and during his post-race interview, he was asked who he turned to for support
The swimmer failed to mention his family, and instead praised Holly, who is pregnant with her first child, and his close friends for being there for him
Holly also showed her appreciation for her husband Adam in a sweet social media post
After finishing in third place during his 100m final, Adam rushed to embrace Holly in the stands, before kissing her bump
Adam broke down in tears following his third place finish on Saturday, and said his feud with his family had ‘taken its toll’
Caroline, who spent years ferrying her son to early-morning training sessions, was also not invited to Holly’s glamorous hen do.
Then, months later, Adam broke his silence on the feud as he insisted there are ‘two sides to every story’ in a statement he posted on Instagram.
The latest blow came last month when the Daily Mail revealed Adam’s pregnant sister Bethany – the only member of his family to still be in contact with the couple – has now sensationally fallen out with Holly. Read the full story here.
The reports of his strained relationship with his parents have clearly taken their toll on Adam, as he was overcome with emotion after the result.
He added in his post-swim interview: ‘I’m never afraid to show emotion. It’s important because it helps create stronger people, stronger men, stronger fathers and stronger husbands.
‘This cycle especially, I’ve worked harder than ever. To get a result like that hurts because I know I’m better than that.
‘It’s still very raw. I honestly feel like I deserve more. There’s a lot of thinking to do, but it’s too early to draw any conclusions.
‘Maybe it was just an off swim. Maybe it’s because I’ve been away from championship racing for two years. I honestly don’t know.
‘What’s the point of all the 5.30am starts? What’s the point of all the metres every single day? What’s the point of being exhausted all the time, or missing family events because you have to train?
‘It has to mean something. For me, that means striving for excellence, and today wasn’t excellence. That’s where the emotion comes from.
‘The choices I’ve made over the last few months have been difficult. At the same time, I’m proud that I got here and that I didn’t quit after Paris [Olympics in 2024]. I know I deserve more, and I know I can work for it.
‘It’s been two years since I’ve raced heats, semis and finals, so maybe it’s just an adjustment. It’s too early to know what I’m capable of at this stage, but I’m a fighter.
‘We’ve got another opportunity at the Europeans in two weeks, and I do enjoy a scrap. I lost that scrap today, but that’s sport. Most of the time I’ve won those battles – this time I didn’t.’
He continued: ‘Over the last couple of months I’ve had to make some hard decisions so I could focus on doing my job.
‘I’ve had to ignore a lot of the rubbish people write online. Enough is enough. This goes beyond sport. It’s about being decent people. We all have to do better.
Adam has cut ties with his parents, after a fall-out which began when wider members of his family were not invited to his wife Holly’s hen party last year
‘My wife will always be proud of me. As a father, it doesn’t matter whether you come home with a gold medal, as long as you come home. That’s what really matters.’
Adam changing his name to Ramsay-Peaty and registering under the double-barrel surname for the Games in Glasgow is the latest blow for his estranged loved ones – especially as Ramsay is placed first before Peaty.
A source said previously: ‘Adam may be rich, but we have something that he hasn’t and that is brains, loyalty, integrity and family.
‘Money makes for a cold bedfellow. It can’t hold you tight when things go wrong or when you have a bad day.’
They added: ‘When you live to be famous you aren’t living, you are playing a role. Fame is but fleeting but family is forever.’
Eighteen-year-old Filip Nowacki, from Jersey, finished in second place, 0.31 seconds behind world record holder Ramsay-Peaty, with gold going to Australian Sam Williamson.
