Despite being one of the first contestants to be 'murdered' on The Celebrity Traitors, former Olympic champion Tom Daley isn't shying away from a television career as the father-of-two prepares to host Channel 4's latest offering, Game of Wool: Britain's Best Knitter. The programme follows a similar format to other smash hits like The Great British Bake Off and The Great British Sewing Bee: a group of talented knitters compete to create show-stopping creations, and one unlucky contestant will be sent home each week.
HELLO! was lucky enough to attend a special screening of the first show. If the end of Bake Off leaves a cosy hobby reality TV show hole in your viewing schedule, then the Game of Wool will be the perfect antidote. We then sat down with Tom, who was starting to lose his voice, to discuss all things knitting, Celebrity Traitors, and how his family, including husband Dustin Lance Black and their two children, Robbie, seven, and Phoenix, two, might react to his new career.
"I'm really hoping that Robbie will enjoy it, he knows that I spend all my time knitting," the star, who won an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games, shared. "He'll find it really quite interesting to watch it. I'm not going to know for sure how much he's going to like it until we watch it on Sunday, but I'm hoping that he's going to enjoy it."
The star, who launched his own knitwear brand, Made with Love, in 2021, also revealed that his eldest son, Robbie, had also started his own knitting journey. Tom revealed: "He knows how to chain-stitch with crochet. I do think he's going to be able to learn. My rule of thumb for knitting is that if you can tie your shoelaces, that's when you're old enough to start knitting."
Inspiring a new generation of knitters
Game of Wool: Britain's Best Knitter will be coming to Channel 4 on 2 November, and Tom was incredibly enthusiastic about the show, saying: "Fronting a show about knitting and being able to talk about knitting all the time, it's my dream. My role in the show is just the host, I'm not knitting. Di [Gilpin] and Sheila [Greenwell] are the experts. It's about being able to get as many eyeballs on knitting and crocheting as possible and showing that knitting's for everyone and anyone. There are so many different styles and techniques and ideas within the world of wool, that's something that I really hope that people take away from it."
He continued: "I'd love for the show to inspire a new generation of knitters to give it a go. I'd love for schools to be able to have some kind of knitting and or crochet in the curriculum to give people those skills and that dexterity. If we can try and inspire new people to knit, then that would be an amazing outcome from the show."
© InstagramAlthough fans won't be seeing any work from Tom, who previously judged on ITV show Splash!, he did reveal to us that he created some pieces behind the scenes. With challenges on the show lasting between 10 and 12 hours, there was plenty of downtime for the former Olympian, who obviously used the opportunity to knit. "I made a chicken sweater for Bretman Rock while I was there," he revealed. "I also designed my initial patterns for my Made with Love yarn while I was there. I made a jumper, two sweater-vests and a hat."
While Tom's creations on the show didn't make it to the screen, the contestants' efforts certainly did. In the first episode, the knitters designed Fair Isle tank tops, as well as working in teams to design a cover for an entire sofa. Speaking about the contestants, Tom said: "In nearly every episode, there's something that gasps my flabbers, if you like. The contestants are so incredibly creative about what they're able to create in such a small amount of time. They're making things from bags, lights, pet stuff, swimwear and toddler clothing. Anything you can imagine, we get in there!"
© Channel 4Tom also joked that he would have loved to have been able to compete on the show himself, saying: "I would love to be a contestant. I feel like it would be so stressful, but fun. In the next series, I'd love to get involved in one of the challenges without Di and Sheila knowing, get them to judge me." And the athlete holds the show's judges in high regard, adding: "I learned so much from them over the time I was there. We would always talk about knitting and about all the different things that they've created, the things that they're excited about, the projects they're working on next. It was really amazing to get the chance to be in their presence and all of the amazing things that they're able to create as well."
Short-lived Celebrity Traitors stint
Of course, we couldn't not ask Tom about his (criminally) short time on the inaugural series of The Celebrity Traitors. The star was one of the first to be 'murdered' by the Traitors, and he went viral on the show, not only for a steamy shower before his exit, but also for a moment when he gave Kate Garraway a hilarious side-eye after she said she was left "flabbergasted" by Paloma Faith's elimination.
© BBCWhen we pressed him on the hilarious moment, he confessed: "I didn't even realise I did it until I watched it back, and I was like, 'Wait, what do you mean my side eye? What was wrong with my side eye?' And then before I knew it, it was everywhere." He added: "I walked to dinner last night with my mum, and I haven't been in the UK for a hot minute, and after The Traitors, literally every other person was like, 'Oh, what happened on The Traitors? Tell us what happened'."
Tom also revealed that he hoped for a second chance to compete on the popular show, revealing that he wouldn't mind being a Traitor this time. "It's really intense while you're in there, but as a fan of the show, it was a no-brainer to do it. If I were a Traitor, I'd be more like Alan, go in with a pinch of salt and enjoy the role, but be able to play and have fun with it, not take it too seriously."
Game of Wool: Britain's Best Knitter airs on 2 November on Channel 4 at 8pm.
