Tom Daley has opened up about his battle with an eating disorder as he shed a rare light on his life as a father of two young children.

The diving champion, 30, spoke ahead of the release of his new Discovery+ documentary, Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds, in June. 

It follows the Brit’s journey to gold and how he won a total of five medals for Team GB in a career that spanned over a decade.

Reflecting on his battle with body dysmorphia and bulimia, Tom told Fashion Magazine: ‘I had moments of real struggle.

‘In 2011, my performance director told me that I was overweight and that I needed to look like I did when I was 14 – I was nearly 18 at the time.  

‘That was the first time I felt like somebody was looking at my body – not from a performance point of view but by what it looked like.’

‘I struggled with all kinds of different issues around body dysmorphia and bulimia.’ 

Daley shares two children – Robert “Robbie” and Phoenix Rose – with his husband Lance Black, who they welcomed in 2023 via a surrogate

After retiring from diving in 2024, Tom has set his sights on projects including an upcoming knitting show with Channel 4 called Game of Wool

Tom admitted that the public scrutiny of his body as an athlete saw him suffer from both body dysmorphia and bulimia

After retiring from diving in 2024, Tom has set his sights on projects including the upcoming knitting show with Channel 4, Game of Wool. 

The upcoming documentary forced him to look back on the good and bad of his Olympic career.

The diver said he felt particularly alone as a man suffering from an eating disorder.

He added: “It was not something that men talked about. It was like, “Well, that only happens to girls. So I felt very alone in that experience.’ 

But while Daley was candid about the darker side of his athletic career, he said he is excited to tell his children about it.

Daley shares two children – Robert “Robbie” and Phoenix Rose – with his husband Lance Black. They welcomed the twins in 2023 via a surrogate.  

Tom said: ‘There’s so much archival footage that I’ve never seen before, so it was very surreal to look back on it. 

‘It made me very emotional, but I’m really excited to be able to show it to my kids in the future: “This is what I did as an athlete and what I’m extremely proud of.”‘

Touching upon his changing priorities, Daley admitted that knitting became a healthy distraction for him over time

Tom Daley with his diving partner Noah Williams as they claimed a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics ahead of his retirement

Read More ‘You’re so naked, it’s hard to be content with your body!’ Tom Daley details his battle with bulimia and self-image after it was ‘hammered’ into him that he needed to lose weight

The former diver turned knitting extraordinaire explained that over time, his priorities shifted towards his family. 

He added: ‘By the time the Tokyo Olympics came around [in 2021], I realised I was more than just a diver.

‘Between 2016 and 2021, I got married, we had a kid and my priorities shifted.’

Touching upon his changing priorities, Daley said that knitting became a healthy distraction for him. 

He explained: ‘During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; we had such severe lockdowns that knitting actually became my superpower. 

‘It allowed me to really stay present and have a healthy distraction.’

Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds is set to premier in early June on Discovery+.