The residual ties connecting Adam Peaty to his immediate family will be cut this summer when he competes at the Commonwealth Games using his new double-barrelled surname.
Peaty is hoping to make history by becoming the first British swimmer to win gold medals at four consecutive Commonwealth events when he travels to Glasgow with Team England in July.
But he will attempt the feat using his married name after registering for the forthcoming games, his first major sporting event since exchanging vows with influencer Holly Ramsay in December, as Adam Ramsay-Peaty.
Commenting on his involvement, the swimmer – at 31 the oldest member of Team England – said: ‘Being selected to represent your country is always an honour, and there is something special about a home Commonwealth Games.
‘The event also marks a significant milestone in my international career, which began in Glasgow 12 years ago at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
‘I’m particularly excited to compete in Glasgow this summer as I know everyone will come together to make it a brilliant occasion.’
The residual ties connecting Adam Peaty to his immediate family will be cut this summer when he competes at the Commonwealth Games using his new double-barrelled surname
Peaty sealed his place at the Commonwealth Games after winning the 100 metre breaststroke at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships in April.
The three time Olympic champion has previously won four Commonwealth gold medals and three silvers, having made his debut at the event in 2014.
But while the talented swimmer had the grit, determination and drive needed to become a gold medallist, he also relied on the support of his parents, Mark and Caroline, to get him there.
Peaty previously called them ‘unsung heroes of our sport’, while his coach Melanie Marshall claimed his appearance at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro would never have happened were it not for his family.
Yet ten years on relations have soured between the pair, with the Daily Mail exclusively revealing that Peaty and his new wife had 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 was 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.
Peaty – 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, while beneficial for his 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 fundraising barbecues and Christmas parties in the street, to pay for the petrol when he took part in national competitions.
Eventually, Peaty secured National Lottery funding of around £15,000 a year, which has risen to £30,000.
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)
Peaty’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 Peaty’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 her son 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.
Peaty 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.’
Caroline and Mark’s holidays also revolved around Peaty’s career, with Caroline having never flown abroad until the Rio Olympics because her annual leave had been used to travel the UK for her son’s races
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‘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.’
Peaty’s wife and her own immediate family has since replaced his parents as a primary source of support, with the influencer recently praising his 100 metre breaststroke win at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships.
The swimmer had previously praised the speech his father-in-law Gordon Ramsay gave during his wedding – which allegedly included a jibe about Peaty’s estranged family.
Gordon has denied saying anything offensive during the speech but was reported to have taken aim at Peaty’s mum Caroline, making an unfavourable comparison to his wife Tana.
But Peaty has credited Gordon and spoken about how the Ramsays have supported him, while estranged from his own family.
He said: ‘It was always going to be hard to beat Gordon’s speech.
‘Having [Holly’s] family there for the support and the love they have for us is incredible but Gordon is never going to find it hard to make the room laugh.
‘He was able to bring the room together because that’s what a wedding is in my eyes – that you bring these people from all areas of your life, you bring them together.’
