Adam Peaty has stated he will ‘forgive but not forget’ his family amid their ongoing feud.
The swimmer, 31, has spoken out about the drama, the roots of which date back to 2024, when Adam and his now-wife Holly Ramsay snubbed wider members of the Peaty family by not inviting them to their engagement party and wedding.
The conflict has since escalated and earlier this week, his family – including parents Caroline and Mark – begged for a reconciliation after watching the star score a double bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Speaking to The Guardian, Adam, who embraced Christianity in 2023, stated that his religion means there is prospect of forgiveness, but insisted he will only reconcile with his family if he ‘feels they have improved as people’.
When asked if he would heal the rift, he said: ‘For me, as a Christian, there has to be forgiveness. It doesn’t mean you have to forget, but forgiveness takes time…
Earlier this week, Adam Peaty’s family – including parents Caroline and Mark (pictured in 2022 with their son at Windsor Castle after he was awarded an OBE) – begged for a reconciliation
Adam broke down in tears following his third place finish at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and said his feud with his family had ‘taken its toll’
‘I’m not saying that it won’t get better, but it has to come from a place where I feel like they’ve improved as people, in a sense, and opened that communication up… I haven’t told one thing to the media. I haven’t done one story.’
On speculation around the row, he said: ‘I wouldn’t say on me because I’ve got a thick skin. But I care about my wife, I care about my son [George, five, from his relationship with ex-girlfriend Eirianedd Munro].’
Earlier this week, Adam’s family pleaded with the swimmer to heal the rift with his estranged mother Caroline saying: ‘Please don’t hurt her any more.’
Adam’s failure to score gold at the Commonwealth Games saw him break down in tears in post interviews – in which he partly blamed his family for his poor performance, saying the fallout ‘had taken its toll’ during training.
Caroline and Mark had to watch their son on TV at home as they were not invited to cheer him on at the competition, while his pregnant wife Holly, whose father is chef Gordon Ramsay, watched on and kissed him after the swim.
An insider told the Daily Mail: ‘Adam blaming his family for his failure at the Commonwealth Games is not right. Our message is “Come home and talk to your mother. You know your mum will forgive you! Please don’t hurt her any more”…
‘You both need to heal. Even the public are turning against you. You have to be careful what you put out in the universe because it always comes back at you threefold.’
The source added: ‘We never thought you would treat your family the way you have. All we have done is love you and support you.’
After finishing in third place in the 100m breaststroke final, Adam rushed to embrace Holly in the stands, before kissing her baby bump
Adam waved goodbye to the Games – where he was supported only by Holly and his team – with three medals. He notched up two bronze in the individual 50m and 100m breaststroke, and a silver in the mixed 4x100m medley relay.
The three-time Olympic champion aims to get back on top form for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
He said: ‘I’ll almost have to forget the experience I’ve had this week in my personal situation and learn from it very quickly.’
But according to a source, his family, who are from Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, were cheering him on to win from afar.
They said: ‘There was a small family gathering willing him on. It’s a shame he didn’t get the piece of metal he wanted. But bronze is better than naught.
‘We’re still proud of him, but he seems to have lost some focus, and he’s the first one to admit that.’
Adam – competing for the first time under his new married surname, Ramsay-Peaty – failed to mention his family during broadcast interviews. He said: ‘Thankfully, I’ve got an incredible wife and an incredible support circle around me.’
The swimming star’s parents, Caroline and Mark (pictured with their son after his gold-medal win at the Rio Olympics in 2016), were not in Glasgow to see Adam compete at the Commonwealth Games
After his first disappointing defeat, in the 100m breaststroke final, a visibly upset Adam said: ‘It’s hard because I know how hard I’ve worked. I know the s**t I’ve been through, which is no fault of my own. It does take a toll.’
After hearing Adam’s comments, the family source said: ‘The first words out of Adam’s mouth should have been positive words for the other swimmers.
‘The courageous young lad Archie Goodbourn who swam his heart out with inoperable brain tumours, where was the praise for him? It was all about the self-indulgent Adam.’ (The 25-year-old Scottish swimmer – who was diagnosed in 2024 after the Paris Olympics – made it to the final of 50m breaststroke final in Glasgow, competing against Peaty, who won bronze.)
Adam’s second bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games was in the 50m breaststroke final. He also won a silver in the mixed 4x100m medley relay
Holly, 26, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child, was quick to heap praise on her husband following his disappointment.
Taking to Instagram, she shared photos of her and Adam and, alluding to his tough week, she wrote: ‘Proud. Watching your comeback to championship racing has been inspiring.’
She added: ‘It’s not been an easy journey but your determination and faith have never wavered and we will keep going, through the good and the bad together.’
Adam has stated that he ‘wants to get lost in being a husband and father’, as he and Holly prepare to welcome a daughter in December.
