Tom Daley reveals life long struggle as he opens up on 'dark times'
The Olympian has shared that he still struggles with body dysmorphia and finds it intimidating to go to the gym after his diving instructor told him he was overweight as a teen
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 added: “As an Olympian, I go to the gym and I hate it because I'm like, 'Oh my God, everybody's judging me for how I'm doing this.' I find it intimidating.”
Tom first developed an eating disorder in 2011 at the age of 17 after being told by his diving performance director that he was overweight. He recalled how the comment led to a spiral of unhealthy eating habits and self-criticism.
“I had absolutely no idea what I was doing at that time, so I just cut out food,” he said. “I used to get so hungry that I'd binge. Then when I binged, I'd feel so bad that I was bulimic for a while. It was a dark time because I didn't have anyone to talk to about it. Men weren't meant to talk about their eating disorders 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.
Tom previously spoke about his experience earlier this year, telling Fashion Magazine: “In 2011, my performance director told me that I was overweight and that I needed to look like I did when I was 14 – I was nearly 18 at the time.
“That was the first time I felt like somebody was looking at my body – not from a performance point of view but by what it looked like.” He added: “I struggled with all kinds of different issues around body dysmorphia and bulimia.”
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.
He hopes to one day share his story with his two children, Robbie Ray, seven, and Phoenix Rose, three. The family recently watched Tom's appearance on The Celebrity Traitors, which ended in an emotional scene at home when Robbie saw his dad murdered in the game.
On The One Show, Tom shared: “There were certain people close to me that knew that I was going on but they didn't know if I was gonna be a Traitor or if I was gonna be a Faithful. I'd been watching it with my husband and my oldest son and what was really sad was when I got... you know... murdered.”
“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.
*For help and support on eating disorders contact Beat Eating Disorders on 0808 801 0677.
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