Olympic Gold Medalist, 31, Reveals Eating Disorder Battle While Training For 2012 Games
Tom Daley may have been one of the most notable athletes at the 2012 Olympic Games but behind the scenes, he was struggling.
The Olympic gold medalist diver, 33, recently shared that leading up to the games that year, he developed an eating disorder. Looking back, Daley explained that it was his second time competing for Team Great Britain and there was an immense amount of pressure for him to succeed.
“There was so much pressure. It was a home Olympic Games. When was I ever going to get a chance to dive in front of a home crowd again, with all my friends and family there?” Daley said while speaking with Radio Times.
Daley, who was 19 at the time, added that he knew if he didn’t win a medal at the games, then funding for British divers would be cut.
“I was also aware that the funding of British diving was sitting on my shoulders because if we didn’t win a medal, funding for diving was going to be cut,” he revealed. “So it was huge pressure and I struggled with all kinds of things in the build-up to that — eating disorder issues and anxiety issues.”
The athlete explained that he developed the eating disorder leading up to the games after realizing that the public was judging him not only on his performance but his appearance.
“I got told I was overweight,” he said. “I had absolutely no idea what I was doing at that time, so I just cut out food. I was just not fueling myself appropriately. I wasn’t giving myself enough calories to be able to properly train.”
He continued, “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.”
Daley went on to refer to the period as a “dark time” because men didn’t often open up about mental health struggles or feelings at the time so he had no one to talk to. Thankfully, Daley has now gotten the help that he needs — and men’s mental health is more openly discussed.
While Daley admits he still struggles with body dysmorphia at times, he credits his husband, filmmaker Dustin Lance Black, with being a huge support system.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 31, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
