How Adam Peaty was saved by Holly Ramsay: Olympic swimmer was brought back from brink of depression and alcohol abuse by fiancée who helped him out of ‘three years of hell’
Adam Peaty was a man on the brink. Just two years ago, Britain’s greatest ever swimmer declared he never ‘wanted to see a pool again’, having claimed the sport that catapulted him into the stratosphere had ‘broken’ him.
That was the culmination of ‘three years of hell’ which saw the champion battle depression and alcoholism, ending in him taking a competitive break in 2023.
But through the support of his family, and his loving fiancee Holly Ramsay, the 30-year-old made a roaring return at the Paris Olympics, falling just short of gold by an agonising 0.02 seconds in the breaststroke.
Adam is set to wed Holly – daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay – this Christmas. The 25-year-old has suffered her own mental health issues, including PTSD and depression, and has been praised for being a constant supportive presence in her fiance’s life.
The athlete separated from the mother of his son George and partner of three-years Eirianedd Munro in 2022.
The split, coupled with him loosing an eight-year unbeaten streak led him to a low point, a broken foot and a bust-up with a team-mate, caused him to turn to a hedonistic lifestyle to cope with his depression.
Olympic champion Adam Peaty is set to marry fiancee Holly Ramsay at the end of the year
The swimmer, 30, was supported by the influencer, 25, through a tough period of his life
In March 2023 he decided to take a competitive break, focusing on his mental health by speaking to a psychologist and writing a journal.
Yet thanks to his blossoming relationship with Holly, quality time with little George, his Christian faith and a little push from his coach Mel who told him to get back in the water ‘just to paddle’.
By April 2024 he was back in full force announcing he had found ‘peace in the water’ after winning the British men’s breaststroke title with his quickest time since 2021 .
Peaty’s new relationship with Holly has been seen as a stablising factor in his personal life and career, following his split with Eirianedd in August 2022.
‘You help me become a better man everyday and I can’t wait to see what the future holds with you. No one knows me like you do. My best friend. You’re the goat [greatest of all time],’ he wrote in a belated Valentine’s Day post on Instagram.
The pair met on Strictly Come Dancing in 2021 when Peaty and Holly’s younger sister Tilly were both competing on the series.
In May 2023, following the breakdown of his relationship with George’s mother, the pair began dating, quickly confirming their relationship by June.
By December they had matching tattoos with Peaty brandishing an ‘H’ on his chest and the pair seemed more loved-up than ever as they shared a kiss on the poolside.
Peaty took a break from swimming as he battled alcoholism and depression
He also split from his girlfriend Eirianedd after three years together and apologised for ‘letting down’ his partner and their son in August 2022
He wrote in the caption: ‘Eiri and I have decided to go our separate ways. We have enjoyed a wonderful three years together’
Holly has also suffered with her own mental health, dealing with PTSD, anxiety and depression after being sexually assaulted twice when she was 18.
It led her to be admitted for three months into Nightingale Hospital in Marylebone, London – the capital’s only mental health hospital.
‘I didn’t tell anyone about it until a year afterwards. I just buried it in a box in the back of my mind. [In hospital] is was where I was diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and depression,’ she explained in 2021 on her podcast 21 & Over.
‘Since then, I have been in therapy up to three times a week. I now have these diagnoses that I carry around with me. It’s confusing and I’m trying to take control of my narrative and use that to make something good.’
Holly has also given up alcohol, going sober after ‘struggling daily with mental health’.
‘It can be lonely not drinking especially at this age as it’s such a big part of our social lives.. but you will find the right people who don’t even care that you’re not drinking and are just happy you’re with them,’ she said previously.
Since then, Holly has praised her fiance for his own grit, determination and ‘mental strength’.
After qualifying for the Olympics, Holly wrote: ‘Packing my bags & I’ll see you in Paris. You never fail to amaze me. Your determination, physical and mental strength is inspiring to all. Well done my love.’
With the support of teetotal Holly, Peaty has gotten back on track and competed in Paris
Peaty seen chatting with his three-year-old son George after winning his silver medal in Paris
Undoubtedly under Holly’s influence, Peaty was able to get back to his full strength – both mentally and physically.
After his win in April 2024, he said: ‘For me, that was a great swim, executed well – but the most promising thing is that I’m finding peace in the water now, instead of anger and just fighting it, and trying to win like that.
‘I’m finding a new version of myself which I’m really liking, and I think that’s a version that can do really well at the Olympics.
‘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.’
And now wedding bells are ringing with the pair set to tie the knot by the end of the year.
Holly opened up about her upcoming nuptials to the Daily Mail at the Sport Industry Awards in the summer, saying: ‘Everyone has wedding fever! We’re all very excited, and the countdown is on.
‘There’s just something so English about getting married in the winter. I love summer, but winter is my favourite time of the year.
Holly and Adam are set to tie the knot this Christmas and are excited about their big day
‘I want the Christmas magic feeling of everyone coming together, to celebrate and have a great time.’
While she revealed she’s already selected her bridal gown, after being inspired by none other than Princess Kate.
Teasing her dress, she said: ‘I’m very excited. I’ll not say whether it’s traditional or not, because I don’t want to give anything away.’
But she did add: ‘I’ve always been a huge fan of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, and the lace, and how traditional it is, so I took a lot of inspiration from her.’
And last month, Adam let slip several details about their big day, revealing the ceremony would be taking place in Bath and would be ‘quite a big wedding’ with chef Gordon overseeing the food.
But he added that the couple were also having a no phone policy, insisting: ‘Got to be in the moment and enjoy the day and just take time with each other.’
He also opened up on the emotional moment that he asked Gordon and Tana Ramsay for permission to propose to their daughter.
While many would be intimidated by having the fiery tempered chef as a father-in-law, Adam said that the moment he asked for his and Tana’s blessing to marry Holly ended with the three of them breaking down in tears together.
He also opened up on the emotional moment that he asked Gordon and Tana Ramsay for permission to propose to their daughter
During an appearance on the Live, Laugh, Luke podcast, host Luke Hamnett asked Adam if he had been nervous about meeting the potty-mouthed restaurateur for the first time.
The three-time Olympic champion admitted: ‘Yes and no. I think fame is a very funny one isn’t it, because they’re still human and you have a perception.
‘I was nervous only from the aspect that I really cared about Holly, so I really cared what he thought of me and her family.
‘But I was very traditional, I asked Gordon and Tana for their permission to marry Holly. It was very emotional, we were in Cornwall and I said can we have half an hour just us three. And I cried, they cried, we had a few hugs, and here we are.’
Spilling more details about the actual proposal itself, Adam revealed it had been very chaotic, after many of his planning went wrong.
He explained he’d planned to pop the question at a quiet restaurant while on holiday together in Greece, but accidentally booked the wrong one and was forced to improvise.
He recalled: ‘So I thought I’ll do it after, then noticed a lovely castle and thought I’ll see what’s going on behind the wall.
‘And went round and I s*** you not, two abandoned cars, three dead cats, four chickens just roaming around. I was like f*** me I cannot do it here!’
‘So I went, “Think, think, think! Then thought it’s getting late so will be getting quieter now. But of course the Mediterranean, so it’s the other way around – everyone comes out at 10pm!
‘So we went back to the hotel, had a lovely villa with a pool. I put on a beautiful classical playlist and got down on one knee.’
Admitting that he cried, Adam insisted that the big day would be equally emotional, saying: ‘I guarantee on the wedding I will be crying all day.’
