Gordon Ramsay's daughter Holly has announced her engagement to the Olympic medalist Adam Peaty after around 18 months of dating.
Holly announced the news with a heartfelt Instagram message on Thursday morning, sharing her love for the swimmer and his son, George.
“I am marrying my best friend,” she wrote.
“I truly cannot put into words how I am feeling right now. I still remember how big my smile was the morning I got home from my first date with you.”
Peaty also shared his own heartfelt post confirming the engagement, which follows his recently announced step back from swimming.
“You have been with me when I’ve been at my lowest and helped me understand myself to navigate my own darkness,” he wrote.
“You have also celebrated the highs which have been so many, as for the first time in my life, I’m happy with the man I’ve become.
“You came to church with me and joined the incredible community we have there without a question.”
The pair shared Bible passages, with Peaty and Ramsey both crediting their Christian faith for helping them come together.
This is their story.
2021 The Dance begins
Peaty appeared on Strictly Come Dancing along with Holly's younger sister, Tilly, in 2021 and it was through her that they became friends.
Holly, now 24, is a podcast host of 21 & Over and has, until recently, lived in her family home.
2021-22 Lowest ebb for Peaty
After winning the 100m breaststroke gold in Tokyo, Peaty fell on hard times mentally and sunk into depression and became reliant on alcohol.
In August 2022, a year on from the Olympics, he announced he had separated from his partner, Eirianedd Munro – with whom he has his son, George.
“I could not ask for a greater mother for George and I am so grateful to Eiri for her amazing support over the last three years,” he wrote. “Eiri and George, I’m sorry for letting you down.”
He said in 2023: “No one will ever understand how lonely it is to be at the top of the sport and continually be there because you’ve got to say no to so many things, including many things that make you happy.”
During this period, he took a break from swimming, opening up about depression and a diagnosis with ADHD.
2023 Leap of faith
Peaty began attending church in 2023 at a local congregation in Nottingham.
The origin of his turnaround began in Melbourne, where he was introduced to Pastor Ashley Null, a currently Berlin-based clergyman who works with a number of elite swimmers.
When back in Europe, the pair met up in Nottingham. Peaty then witnessed his poignant first sermon and, as he puts it, “I’ve been there ever since”.
2023 Reconnecting with Holly
Peaty and Holly kept in touch and, according to the swimmer, she supported him through his darkest times when he fell out of love with the sport.
Retrospectively, Holly wrote on Instagram: “To think that when we first met 15 months ago, you weren’t in the pool. Watching you get back into the water and fall in love with your gift again has been the most inspiring journey.”
2024 Advice from Gordon Ramsay
On the road back to Paris 2024, Peaty revealed he had received counsel from Gordon Ramsay.
“He’s an incredible energy to be around and an incredible person to have that guidance from,” he said back in April.
2024 Paris Olympics and engagement
Peaty was unable to defend his title and won silver in Paris but said he cried tears of joy on the podium.
His engagement to Holly, who was poolside at the Olympics, was announced on September 12.
