Before he was an Olympic gold medalist, Adam Peaty, 30, grew up in a working class family. The swimming star was one of four children and has spoken in the past about how his parents supported his swimming dreams. But recently, the family have been in the headlines over claims of a reported rift involving his mother Caroline Peaty. The Olympic swimmer is engaged to Holly Ramsay, the daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. While a wedding should be a happy time that brings families together, the couple's upcoming nuptials have been tainted by claims t
Read on to learn more about Adam's humble beginnings and how his family have supported him from the sidelines throughout his entire swimming career.
He grew up in a big working class family
One thing Adam and Holly have in common is that they both have quite a few siblings. Adam grew up as the youngest of four children to his parents, Caroline and Mark Peaty. He has two brothers, James and Richard, and a sister Beth. The swimmer's sister Beth got engaged at the start of the year while his brother James got married in 2023. Adam has previously spoken about how growing up in a working class family gave him an "appreciation for the things you do have" and made him want to be a role model for his son George, whom he shares from a previous relationship.
"That relationship with suffering has driven me since I was a kid. I am working class – but millions of people in this country are also working class," he told The Guardian. "They live paycheck to paycheck and can't have luxury things. I was in a larger family with two brothers and one sister, so you had to fight for what you had and because I was the youngest I always had hand-me-downs." He continued: "Don’t become lazy and ever think anything will be handed to you. That’s my upbringing in a nutshell. I don’t want to sound too harsh on my parents because they did so much for me, and gave me so much, but there were also so many kids that had so much more and that’s spurred me on."
Adam's mum would drive him to swimming at 4am
People might be surprised to learn that when he was younger, Adam was actually scared of the water, struggling to even have a bath thanks to his brothers once telling him sharks could get into the tub. But after he got over his fear, he went on to join a swimming club when he was nine, and the rest is history.
Caroline was dedicated to supporting her son's swimming growing up. The mum-of-four used to drive Adam to swimming practice in the very early hours of the morning. "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. Then we'd do it again in the evening," she once told Radio Times.
© GettyHis family cheered him on at the Olympics
Adam's hard work paid off in 2016 when he took home the 100m breaststroke gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. His parents were both in the stands for the wholesome moment, cheering him on to victory. But perhaps the most wholesome reaction to his win was from his grandmother, Mavis Williams. Mavis, who was 74 years old at the time, watched Adam's race on the telly back home in Sheffield. "Well you have done it @adam_peaty you have made it, your hard work paid off. Congratulations to you and @massivemel. So proud love Nan x," she sweetly tweeted to congratulate her grandson. Around the time of the Olympics, Mavis gained quite a bit of attention on social media for her support of Adam, becoming known as 'Olympic Nan'. "It took me so long to get 3,000 followers on Twitter and she got it overnight. She's never doubted me, and that means so much to me," Adam reportedly said.
Adam once called his parents 'unsung heroes'
In 2021, Adam credited his parents for their support of his swimming career. The Olympian shared a post to his X account, which declared: "Parents are the unsung heroes of our sport". Adam's coach Melanie Marshall even reportedly once said, "Without the support of his parents, Adam wouldn’t have gone to Rio".
What to know about the reported 'feud'
Adam and Holly announced they were engaged in September 2024. The couple are set to tie the knot at Christmas time in Bath this year. Before claims that the couple were feuding with Adam's mum, Caroline and Holly appeared to get along. In December 2024, Caroline wished her future daughter-in-law a happy birthday on her Instagram. "Happy birthday Holly, (and jack) have a wonderful day x We are looking forward to the year ahead and to you officially becoming part of our family x We have shared some wonderful times already and here is to many more," she wrote. Holly thanked her future mother-in-law for the birthday wishes in the comments.
© InstagramThe feud rumours kicked off over reports Holly had not invited Adam's mum to her hen party. Shortly after, Caroline's sister Louise Williams chimed in on social media to confirm the reports. "@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," Louise wrote in a now-private social media post. "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," the message continued.
"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." Following her sister's message, Caroline shared a cryptic post which read: "The ones I love are the people who hurt me the most." She shared a second message adding: "Crying is a way your eyes speak when your mouth can't explain how broken your heart is."
