By Ruth Francis For Mailonline and Geraint Llewellyn For Mailonline
01:21 29 Jul 2024, updated 02:02 29 Jul 2024
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Holly Ramsay has sent an emotional message of support to her boyfriend Adam Peaty, after he finished in second place at the Olympics in Paris on Sunday.
The daughter of TV chef Gordon, 24, took to Instagram to tell fans just how much he means to her and their family.
Sharing a picture which showed the athlete giving her and their son George, three, a hug she wrote: ‘My world. We are so proud of you.’
Holly had been watching the nail biting swimming race from the sidelines with George as Italian underdog Nicolo Martinenghi beat Adam in the 100m Breaststroke final by just 0.02 seconds.
An emotional Adam, 29, who achieved a silver medal, broke down in tears during a TV interview before making his way to the stands to embrace his loved ones.
Adam assured his interviewer that he wasn’t crying because he didn’t achieve the gold medal, but because of the journey he had been on to be there.
Holly kissed him before George joined them in a cuddle and she then handed over the little one to his father.
Adam shared the silver with American world champion Nic Fink after they both clocked 59.05sec, while his Chinese rival Haiyang Qin was back in seventh.
In an interview he chocked up recalling just how hard it has been for him to even make it to Paris, having taken time out of the sport last year after suffering depression.
‘It’s been a very long way back,’ said Adam. ‘I gave it my absolute all there. It doesn’t matter what the time says, or the result, because in my heart I have already won.
‘I’m not crying because I’ve come second. I am crying because it just took so much to get here. These are happy tears because I have given it my absolute best every single day and I can’t be upset about that.
‘It’s just incredibly hard. To win it once, and to win it again, and to try and win it again.
‘Everything I have done to this point has happened for a reason, and I am so happy I can race the best in the world and come second.
‘I am almost an older man here now. I can’t have that relentless every single day without a sacrifice of some sort.
‘It comes in many ways, my timing, my energy, my relationships. It is very hard to compete with the younger ones, but I am so happy with that because in my heart I couldn’t have done more.’
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It comes after Holly took to her shared a snap of her newly manicured nails to Instagram that were painted with Adam’s initials.
She also shared a photo of her ‘pool essentials’ which were a cuddly toy and Spiderman figurine, while watching with George.
Adam, who almost quit the sport last year, had vowed to ‘give it everything’ to win gold at his third Olympic Games.
But he was beaten by just two hundredths of a second alongside Nick Fink who came in at the same time.
His arch-rival Qin Haiyang from China came seventh.
On Friday Holly praised her boyfriend of one year, calling him an amazing father and adding that she was thankful to have watched him in his competitions.
The swimmer has previously been candid about his battles with depression and alcoholism but is happier than ever since meeting Holly in 2023.
In the post shared on Instagram, Holly said: ‘It has been an absolute privilege to have watched you this last year. Your determination and dedication is unmatched.
‘Hours of training, team meetings, gym, physio and still you have been the best father to George & the best partner to me. Being able to watch so many training sessions & host team breakfasts has made me so thankful to be a part of your world.
‘I love you. Go out there and smash it. Enjoy it all, you deserve everything and more.
‘Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. – 1 Corinthians 16:13’.
The athlete posed in full sports gear, including his official Paris Olympics hoodie and bags in one picture and in another Adam pouted at the camera in a baby blue Team GB bucket hat.
The influencer posted the message along with several photos including one of the pair posing in a mirror pouting with the daughter of Gordon Ramsey apparently showing off a possible engagement ring.
In another snap, the brunette beauty was seen leaning against a wall as she seemingly watched her boyfriend compete out of shot.
Holly also gave fans a glimpse behind the scenes of her and Adam’s life with candid team breakfast and road trip snaps.
The couple appear more loved up than ever and recently celebrated their one-year anniversary.
Holly shared ‘she hasn’t stopped smiling’ since she met the Olympic swimmer ‘365 days ago’.
The adorable couple were first rumoured to be dating in June 2023 and have been going from strength to strength ever since.
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Adam recently revealed he endured ‘three years of hell’ after suffering from depression and alcoholism and splitting from his long-term girlfriend Eirianedd Munro – but has now rediscovered his passion for swimming.
He admitted he ‘didn’t want to see a pool again’ after being ‘broken’ by the sport, turning to drinking and partying as an escape.
When asked why he didn’t quit the sport all together when at his lowest he said: ‘I was within a hair of giving it all up. What was I going back for? Pride? It took a while to find the answer.
‘But I wanted to teach [my son] George and any other children I have in future that you don’t give up when things get hard or the world feels like it’s against you. You give up when the time is right. I can take losses, but I couldn’t take regret. Regret would eat any man inside out.’
In 2022 his three-year relationship with Eirianedd ended after he appeared as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing – as did his eight-year unbeaten streak in the pool, and he took a mental health break after the Commonwealth Games.
The swimmer said he became very depressed and turned to alcohol to cope.
In a Men’s Health magazine interview he said: ‘The answers can’t be found in a nightclub, or some of the stuff that I’d been doing. It had to be found in true accountability, tough and deep conversations with people around me’.
He later started dating Holly after meeting her while on the BBC show and still in a relationship, saying now his support network is ‘great’ and how it’s taken a long time to ‘get it right’.
Adam also revealed how Holly’s famous father Gordon helped pull him out of his ‘deep, dark hole’.
He told The Sunday Times the celebrity chef has emerged as a mentor and role model, who he looks up to for his ‘relentless pursuit’ and how he has worked ‘his way up to the upper echelons of his industry’.
Adam rediscovered his passion for swimming and in April qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after winning the British 100m men’s breaststroke title with his quickest time since 2021.
‘Gordon is a high performer. He worked his way up to the upper echelons of his industry and works in a place where there’s no bulls***’
‘I take a lot from that and from the professionalism he has every single day with a relentless pursuit.
‘So, when I see that, I’m like, ‘Yeah, why can’t I work like this? Why can’t I do this every single day? Why do I have to be so emotionally engaged with things?’
He added that watching Gordon operate in his job inspired him to change his own manner and approach to swimming.