Daley Thompson made quite the impression when he entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on Monday evening.
However, the Olympic star isn't the only sportsman in his family. As well as his son Alex Crayton, who plays professional rugby, his other son, Elliot Thompson, is also following in his father's footsteps by competing in the decathlon.
© Shutterstock for Big BrotherDaley is one of Britain's most highly decorated athletes, winning gold at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games, and winning a further six gold medals at the World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Games.
Elliot is hoping to challenge his father's double Olympic gold record, and the 32-year-old has already achieved a world title after taking up the sport at 24. The star was the national champion at the 2022 British Athletics Championships, 46 years after Daley won his first British title.
© Getty ImagesDespite sharing a similar sporting passion, Elliot was initially unaware of his father's sporting glory, with Daley having given away his medals. "I knew he did the decathlon, but that was probably about it," Elliot told the Telegraph in 2022.
"I don't think I realised the gravity of what he did until I was a lot older."
© British Athletics via Getty ImagSpeaking of his son's sporting achievements, Daley said: "I didn't like it when he won the British title and all the headlines said my son had won it 46 years after me. That's a long time. I didn't even remember winning it!
5 biggest CBB controversies
© ShutterstockShilpa Shetty racism row
In 2005, Jade Goody, Jo O'Meara, and Danielle Lloyd were accused of bullying Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty in a racist manner. The contestants nicknamed Shilpa 'Shilpa Poppadom' and used other offensive terms. This led to widespread outrage in India. After Jade was evicted, she apologised for her actions, stating that she was "disgusted" by her behaviour upon watching the footage.
Roxanne Pallet's false accusation
In 2018, Roxanne Pallett falsely accused her co-star Ryan Thomas of assault during a playful moment. Ryan had lightly jabbed her while pretending to box, but Roxanne, in tears, claimed he should be removed for "punching" her "like a boxer". Viewers felt that she exaggerated the situation. After leaving the show, Roxanne apologised for her false claims, admitting that she had "got it wrong".
Tiffany Pollard's 'David's dead' confusion
A memorable moment from the 2016 series of Celebrity Big Brother occurred when contestant Angie Bowie was informed of the death of her ex-husband, David Bowie. Tiffany Pollard, upon hearing the news, mistakenly thought it referred to fellow contestant David Gest, who was sleeping at the time, and began screaming in confusion - causing the house to erupt into chaos.
Biggins' bigotry
In 2006, panto star Christopher Biggins was removed from the show after making several offensive remarks about bisexuality, race, and religion. Biggins, who is gay, controversially described bisexuals as the "worst type" of people in the LGBTQ+ community and made inappropriate connections between being bisexual and the global AIDS crisis.
Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu's OnlyFans rant
Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, a Love Island star, went from being a fan favourite to a more controversial figure. She made hostile remarks toward some housemates and criticised individuals who used OnlyFans, stating, "I’d rather have zero pounds than a million pounds doing it the wrong way, but having pride."
"I watched him win on the telly with my other son and we were both shouting and crying. The best thing as a parent is when your kids have goals and are focused - you know that whatever happens, they are going to be successful, because those are the fundamental things that really matter."
Other children
Daley shares Elliot with his first wife, Patricia Quinlan, with the pair also being parents to Rachel and Austin. The sports star also has two kids with ex-girlfriend, Lisa Clayton, those being Alex and Aaron.
The star's daughter was born 12 months prematurely, and reflecting on the experience with the Independent in 2008, he said although it was a "brilliant experience," it's not something "you'd necessarily want to go through".
© Getty ImagesSpeaking to the Telegraph in 2025, the star revealed that he still regularly trains with his youngest sons. He told the publication: "I still train five or six days a week, sometimes with my youngest kids, Alex, 22, and Aaron, 17 – or at least they train and I jog after them. I'm still competitive, but I'm in control of it."
He then joked: "I have to find little things I can beat my children at because I'm now the shortest person in my family – even my 17-year-old is 6ft 2in – and my boys are stronger than me. I still wrestle them – and I play dirty."
