TOM Daley is a national treasure, beloved for his performance in the pool and his knitting videos online.
Few things, though, are more important to the diver than family. Here’s everything you need to know about the Olympian’s parents.
Tom Daley is the son of Debbie (née Selvester) and Robert Daley.
His father, Robert, sadly died from a brain tumour on May 27, 2011, aged 40, a few days after Daley’s 17th birthday.
His dad was one of his biggest fans, supporting Tom while he trained for the Olympics.
Tom told Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island disks in 2018, that he went to see his Dad in hospital shortly before he died.
Rob asked Tom: “Do we have our tickets yet?”, because he wanted to be in the front row at the London 2012 Olympics.
In a candid chat back in 2021 with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on This Morning, Tom opened up about struggling with grief.
He admitted: “I found it really difficult to process that I was never going to see him again, and although I knew he was sick and was going to pass away at some point when it actually happened it was so horrible to think about.”
Tom added: “I couldn’t let it sink in that he wasn’t going to see me in London 2012 because it was something we had always dreamed of doing together.
“So it was a very challenging thing to try and overcome.”
Tom has gone on to win big at the Olympics.
He has been a flag bearer for Team GB at the Paris 2024 games and has won five Olympic medals.
Tom has two brothers – William who is three years younger, and Ben who is five years younger.
Not much is publicly known about the two, but they both at times share posts of each other.
Tom’s younger brother, Will, even wished his brother and new brother-in-law all the best after celebrating their big day in 2017.
Taking to Twitter to share a sweet note, Will wrote: “A huge congratulations to my brother Tom and his now husband Dustin. Which now makes you my brother-in-law!
“You absolutely delivered one of the best weekend for not on yourselves, but for your closest friends and family too.
“I just want to say I hope you enjoy the rest of your lives together in peace and love.
“Welcome to the family Lance, you have no idea what you’ve got yourself into with us.”
In June 2021, Will posted on Instagram about the birth of his baby daughter, Myla Aurora Daley, a cousin for Tom’s son Robert Ray.
Dustin Lance Black is an American screenwriter and director, who has won multiple awards for his work.
The 48-year-old was born on June 10, 1974, in Sacramento, California, and he grew up in a Mormon household.
Tom and Dustin met in 2013 and Tom decided to come out that December, telling his fans in a YouTube video that he had been dating a man since the summer.
The pair live together in London and became engaged in 2015.
The couple married on May 6, 2017, and Tom sang “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art though, Romeo?” to his fiance before the ceremony at the fairy tale Bovey Castle.
In late June 2018, the pair announced the birth of their first child Robert Ray Black-Daley.
In April 2023, Tom delighted fans when he announced the birth of the couple’s second son, Phoenix.
Dustin, Robert and Phoenix are Tom’s biggest supporters and cheered him on when he won silver at the Paris 2024 Games.
WHAT TO WATCH TODAY...
The Paris 2024 Olympics is now well underway with medals being ticked off and huge events still to come.
SunSport brings you all the action taking place in the French capital on a what is expected to be a huge third day.
TODAY’S BRIT MEDAL HOPES
Alex Yee was due to be in action in the men’s triathlon but due to pollution in the River Seine, the event has been postponed.
The Team GB 4x200m men’s freestyle swimming squad are packed with talent and could be in for gold (8.59pm).
And the women’s gymnastics team could also get a podium finish but it’s a strong field including Simone Biles’ USA (5.15pm).
BRITS TO WATCH
Kieran Reilly and Charlotte Worthington get underway in the freestyle BMX qualifiers (12.25pm).
Joe Clarke and Mallory Franklin are both in canoe slalom action, while the men’s hockey side face top-dogs the Netherlands.
GLOBAL STARS TODAY
Clarisse Agbegnenou carried the flag for France at the opening ceremony.
She can back that up with a third Olympic judo gold in the -63kg final (4.49pm).
FANCY SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
It is the final day of the rugby sevens for this Olympics, ending with the final at the 70,000-seater Stade de France at 6.45pm.
And the street-style 3×3 basketball gets underway at the spectacular La Concorde venue at the bottom of the Champs-Elysees in the heart of the city.
Click here for all the events taking place at Paris 2024 today.
Follow all the action as it unfolds with our Paris 2024 Olympics LIVE blog.
