Adam Peaty opens up on ‘three years of hell’: Being ‘broken’ by swimming, alcoholism, depression and split from the mother of his son – after qualifying for the Olympics with his quickest time since 2021

Adam Peaty has revealed that he endured ‘three years of hell’ after suffering from depression and alcoholism and splitting from his girlfriend – but has now rediscovered his passion for swimming. 

He admitted that he ‘didn’t want to see a pool again’ after being ‘broken’ by the sport, turning to drinking and partying as an escape. 

In 2022 his three-year relationship with Eirianedd Munro ended, as did his eight-year unbeaten streak in the pool, and he took a mental health break after the Commonwealth Games. 

Add a broken foot and a facial gash after a bust-up with a team-mate and the last few years don’t make the most optimistic reading for a three-time Olympic champion.  

But now Peaty has qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after winning the British 100m men’s breaststroke title with his quickest time since 2021. 

Asked if he was back to his best, he said: ‘I think so. A 57.9 is very good, still not where I want to be, but the first solid result where I am like, “Oh, not many people can do this.”

‘I felt so light in the water.

‘This is a real win for my team, my family and myself. We have come through the past three years of hell. I didn’t want to see a pool again. The sport had broken me.

‘I didn’t know what route to go down and so many things got in my way, but now I am waking up each day and enjoying my job.

‘Who knows what the ending is going to be but I am having fun along the way. It may not end up as a fairytale, but it might.’

His time of 57.94 seconds was his quickest since he retained his Olympic title in 2021.

The 29-year-old has won three Olympic gold medals and two silvers and was unbeaten for eight years from 2014 to 2022.

However, he broke his foot in May 2022 and rushed back for the Commonwealth Games, where he could only finish fourth. He later stepped away from swimming to focus on his mental health. 

In August 2022, he struggled with the breakdown of his relationship with Eirianedd Munro, the mother of his then-two-year-old son George.

Announcing the news via social media, Adam wrote: ‘Eiri and George, I’m sorry for letting you down. My only interest is for the well-being of our family at this difficult time.’

Eirianedd took to her own social media to announce the split, predicting she would face an ‘incredibly difficult’ future.

The split marked another instance of the doomed ‘Strictly curse’ striking once again, after Adam raised eyebrows with his chemistry with pro partner Katya Jones on the dance floor in 2021.

In 2020, Peaty told Mail Sport that he had found himself turning to alcohol after triumphing at the Commonwealth Games two years earlier.

‘After the Commonwealths, towards the end of the year, I didn’t have any races. And when you involve off-season and you involve partying and drinking, that’s a depressant in itself, so I was doing that a lot.

‘I kind of, not went off the rails, but I didn’t really have that overwhelming motivation to perform at something. And I am a performer, so if I don’t have something to perform at, I completely lose my track.

‘Add that in with all that partying and stuff, it wasn’t that great to have that all at once.

‘Then you are on this low where you can’t really enjoy anything, you don’t really see the point of buying nice things or doing nice things, because you don’t get a high out of it any more.

‘It took a long while to recognise what was important to me and what wasn’t. I have found that thankfully now. I know exactly how to treat my body, how to treat my mind, and it’s not by forcing alcohol as much as you can.’

He told The Times: ‘It’s been an incredibly lonely journey. The devil on my shoulder [says], “You’re missing out on life. You’re not good enough. You need a drink. You can’t have what you want. You can’t be happy.”‘ 

‘I’ve been on a self-destructive spiral, which I don’t mind saying because I’m human. By saying it, I can start to find the answers.’

Last year, he appeared with a nasty gash above his eye after allegedly getting involved in a bust-up with Team GB team-mate Luke Greenbank, after apparently slapping him on the bottom and making a ‘cocky quip’ about his girlfriend, Anna Hopkin.

He is now dating Holly Ramsay, 24, daughter of the potty-mouthed TV chef Gordom Ramsay. 

The pair met on Strictly Come Dancing and in 2023 unveiled matching tattoos in a tribute to each other. 

They went public with their relationship in June, after which they sparked engagement speculation four months later when she was seen wearing a ring. On social media, he professed: ‘I love you so much.’ 

In 2023, he told Mail Sport that his Christian faith had improved his mental health. 

He said: ‘I go to church every Sunday. It’s been the last few months and it’s definitely helped.

‘It’s about being a better person. Not only being a better athlete and fulfilling my gift, but also being a better dad for George. There are so many other reasons. It gets quite deep. But it’s great to be a part of.’