London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jan 14, 2026

Tom Daley says he hopes ‘out’ athletes make LGBT people feel less alone

Tom Daley says he hopes ‘out’ athletes make LGBT people feel less alone

The diver came third in the solo 10 metres event on Saturday.

om Daley said he hopes seeing “out” athletes will make people feel valued and less alone as he won the fourth Olympic medal of his career.

The 27-year-old, who ended a 13-year wait for Olympic gold when he triumphed on the synchronised 10 metres platform last week alongside Matty Lee, came third in the solo 10 metres event on Saturday.

Following anti-LGBT commentary on Russian state television, Daley said history shows that society has been dictated from the “straight, white, male experience”.

Tom Daley during the men’s 10m platform final


Daley has been married for four years and has a son with husband American screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

The Plymouth-born diver, who came out in 2013, is among a record number of LGBT+ athletes at these Games, some of whom have come in for offensive commentary from Russian state television.

Speaking after winning a bronze medal on Saturday, Daley said: “I had no idea. When we’re at the Olympics, it’s kind of like we’re in a bubble and we don’t really see anything.”

Daley was reportedly referred to as “a British homosexual” on Russian state TV, and he told reporters: “History shows that everything that society is has been dictated from the straight, white, male experience.”

While he feels accepted by his own nation, Daley believes there is still a lot more that can be done worldwide.


“Of course it’s come a long way,” he said. “There’s still a lot further to go. There are 10 countries that are competing at these Olympic Games where being LGBT is punishable by death.

“I feel extremely lucky to be representing Team GB, to be able to stand on the diving board as myself with a husband and a son and not worry about any ramifications.

“But I know that I’m very fortunate to have that and that there are lots of people who grow up around the world with less fortunate situations.

“I just hope that seeing out sportspeople in all these different sports is going to help people feel less alone, feel like they are valued and can achieve something.”

After winning gold earlier in the Games, Daley said he hopes his victory acts as an inspiration for the LGBT community.

Great Britain’s Tom Daley during the Men’s 10m Platform Final


“I hope that any young LGBT person out there can see that no matter how alone you feel right now, you are not alone.

“You can achieve anything,” he said.

Earlier this week, the BBC said an International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman told them they were contacting the official Russian broadcaster, one of the two channels in question, to express their concern.

Daley said he is now going to have a bit of a break and “a couple of margaritas”.

He told the BBC: “I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone at home, and in particular to Lance, my husband.

“He has been my rock throughout this whole thing and has put up with me and sacrificed so much, moved to the UK so I can train.

“My mum, and of course my dad.

“I wish that my dad was here to have seen me at these Olympic Games winning two Olympic medals.

“He would be jumping up, and he’d probably be in the pool by now.

“I’m so overwhelmed with all the love and support back home.”

Daley’s father Robert died aged 40 from a brain tumour in 2011.

Following Daley’s success on Saturday, his husband tweeted: “Are you kidding me?! Another Olympic medal! Two for two!

“So so so proud of you my love! Now bring those medals home my sweet champion.”

Daley made his Olympic debut aged 14 and now has three bronze medals and one gold medal from his efforts at the Games over the years.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Intensifies Arctic Security Engagement as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Fuels Allied Concern
Meghan Markle Could Return to the UK for the First Time in Nearly Four Years If Security Is Secured
Meghan Markle Likely to Return to UK Only if Harry Secures Official Security Cover
UAE Restricts Funding for Emiratis to Study in UK Amid Fears Over Muslim Brotherhood Influence
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks to Safeguard Long-Term Agreement Stability
Starmer’s Push to Rally Support for Action Against Elon Musk’s X Faces Setback as Canada Shuns Ban
UK Free School Meals Expansion Faces Political and Budgetary Delays
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks With Britain
Germany Hit by Major Airport Strikes Disrupting European Travel
Prince Harry Seeks King Charles’ Support to Open Invictus Games on UK Return
Washington Holds Back as Britain and France Signal Willingness to Deploy Troops in Postwar Ukraine
Elon Musk Accuses UK Government of Suppressing Free Speech as X Faces Potential Ban Over AI-Generated Content
Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missile in Strike on Ukraine
OpenAI and SoftBank Commit One Billion Dollars to Energy and Data Centre Supplier
UK Prime Minister Starmer Reaffirms Support for Danish Sovereignty Over Greenland Amid U.S. Pressure
UK Support Bolsters U.S. Seizure of Russian-Flagged Tanker Marinera in Atlantic Strike on Sanctions Evasion
The Claim That Maduro’s Capture and Trial Violate International Law Is Either Legally Illiterate—or Deliberately Deceptive
UK Data Watchdog Probes Elon Musk’s X Over AI-Generated Grok Images Amid Surge in Non-Consensual Outputs
Prince Harry to Return to UK for Court Hearing Without Plans to Meet King Charles III
UK Confirms Support for US Seizure of Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker in North Atlantic
Béla Tarr, Visionary Hungarian Filmmaker, Dies at Seventy After Long Illness
UK and France Pledge Military Hubs Across Ukraine in Post-Ceasefire Security Plan
Prince Harry Poised to Regain UK Security Cover, Clearing Way for Family Visits
UK Junk Food Advertising Ban Faces Major Loophole Allowing Brand-Only Promotions
Maduro’s Arrest Without The Hague Tests International Law—and Trump’s Willingness to Break It
German Intelligence Secretly Intercepted Obama’s Air Force One Communications
The U.S. State Department’s account in Persian: “President Trump is a man of action. If you didn’t know it until now, now you do—do not play games with President Trump.”
Fake Mainstream Media Double Standard: Elon Musk Versus Mamdani
HSBC Leads 2026 Mortgage Rate Cuts as UK Lending Costs Ease
US Joint Chiefs Chairman Outlines How Operation Absolute Resolve Was Carried Out in Venezuela
Starmer Welcomes End of Maduro Era While Stressing International Law and UK Non-Involvement
Korean Beauty Turns Viral Skincare Into a Global Export Engine
UK Confirms Non-Involvement in U.S. Military Action Against Venezuela
UK Terror Watchdog Calls for Australian-Style Social Media Ban to Protect Teenagers
Iranian Protests Intensify as Another Revolutionary Guard Member Is Killed and Khamenei Blames the West
Delta Force Identified as Unit Behind U.S. Operation That Captured Venezuela’s President
Europe’s Luxury Sanctions Punish Russian Consumers While a Sanctions-Circumvention Industry Thrives
Berkshire’s Buffett-to-Abel Transition Tests Whether a One-Man Trust Model Can Survive as a System
Fraud in European Central Bank: Lagarde’s Hidden Pay Premium Exposes a Transparency Crisis at the European Central Bank
Trump Announces U.S. Large-Scale Strike on Venezuela, Declares President Maduro and Wife Captured
Tesla Loses EV Crown to China’s BYD After Annual Deliveries Decline in 2025
UK Manufacturing Growth Reaches 15-Month Peak as Output and Orders Improve in December
Beijing Threatened to Scrap UK–China Trade Talks After British Minister’s Taiwan Visit
Newly Released Files Reveal Tony Blair Pressured Officials Over Iraq Death Case Involving UK Soldiers
Top Stocks and Themes to Watch in 2026 as Markets Enter New Year with Fresh Momentum
No UK Curfew Ordered as Deepfake TikTok Falsely Attributes Decree to Prime Minister Starmer
Europe’s Largest Defence Groups Set to Return Nearly Five Billion Dollars to Shareholders in Twenty Twenty-Five
Abu Dhabi ‘Capital of Capital’: How Abu Dhabi Rose as a Sovereign Wealth Power
Diamonds Are Powering a New Quantum Revolution
Trump Threatens Strikes Against Iran if Nuclear Programme Is Restarted
×