After being told by his diving instructor that he was overweight as a teenager, the Olympian has shared that he still struggles with body dysmorphia and finds it difficult to work out.
Olympic gold medallist Tom Daley has opened up about his ongoing struggle with body dysmorphia and the pressures of keeping up appearances within the gay community, admitting he still finds the gym “intimidating” despite his world-class physique.
The diver and Celebrity Traitors star, 31, revealed that his husband, filmmaker Dustin Lance Black, 51, has been a vital source of support through some of his darkest moments.
While speaking to Radio Times, Tom said: “My husband’s been a huge support in that. I think it’s a big thing in the gay world. Some people have very unrealistic body expectations.”
He continued, “As an Olympian, I go to the gym and I hate it because I’m being judged by everyone for how I’m doing this.” It intimidates me, too.
Tom was 17 years old when his diving performance director revealed to him that he was overweight, and he first developed an eating disorder in 2011. He recalled how the comment sparked a downward spiral of self-criticism and unhealthy eating habits.
He said, “I had no idea what I was doing at the time, so I just cut out the food.” “I used to binge because I was so hungry.” Then, after I binged, I would feel so bad that I would bebulimic for a while. Because I had no one to talk to about it, it was a dark time. Men’s conversations about their eating disorders weren’t intended back then.
According to the NHS, body dysmorphia is a mental health condition where individuals spend a lot of time worrying about perceived flaws in their appearance. Bulimia is a serious eating disorder that can have severe effects on both physical and mental health.
My performance director told me that I was overweight and that I needed to look like I did when I was 14 – I was almost 18 at the time. In a previous interview, Tom stated: “In 2011 I was told that I was overweight and that I needed to look like I did.”
“It was the first time I realized that someone was observing my body in terms of appearance rather than performance.” I had a lot of different issues with body dysmorphia and bulimia, he continued.
After retiring from professional diving in 2024, Tom has turned his focus to new projects, including Game of Wool, an upcoming Channel 4 knitting competition series that he is set to host.
Robbie Ray, age seven, and Phoenix Rose, age three, are his two children, and he hopes to one day share their stories. The family recently watched Tom’s appearance on The Celebrity Traitors, which featured Robbie seeing his father killed in a heartfelt scene at home.
On The One Show, Tom said, “Someones close to me knew what was going on, but they were unsure whether I would turn out to be a Traitor or a Faithful.” What was really sad was when my husband and my oldest son were watching it, and I was actually killed.
“He started crying and was like ‘Papa!’ I was like ‘Robbie, I’m here, you’re fine,’ and he was like ‘I wanted you to win. I hate The Traitors!’ Well, I did want to be a Traitor,” he laughed.
*Please call 0808 801 0677 for assistance and support with eating disorders.
