'We're a little confused as he's always had girlfriends': Grandparents of Olympic diver Tom Daley admit surprise at his relationship with a man but vow to support him
Thursday, December 5, 2013
The grandparents of Olympic diver Tom
Daley have expressed their surprise at their grandson's revelation he is
in a relationship with a man - but have vowed to support him.
The 19-year-old announced the news that he is in a ‘serious’ relationship with a man and ‘couldn’t be happier' in a five-minute message on YouTube yesterday.
His grandparents, whom he told 24 hours before he went public, said the news came ‘out of the blue’ and they feared he was ‘too young to be making this sort of decision’ but vowed to support him.
David and Rosemary Daley – whose son Robert, Daley’s father, died in 2011 from brain cancer at the age of 40 – also admitted they were a little ‘confused’ by the news.
Mrs Daley, 65, of Plymstock, Devon, said: ‘We only found out at 5pm on Sunday when he came to see us. We are confused because he’s always had girlfriends.
'We asked him if he was absolutely sure. He’s our first grandson from our son who died.
'We
have always been supportive of him and we always will. We’re not
old-fashioned, in fact we’re quite liberal. But I do think he’s too
young to be making this sort of decision.
‘But we hugged him, we thanked him for coming to see us, and we’ll be seeing him over Christmas. We’ll always be here for Tom.’
Mr Daley, 66, a former company director, added: ‘We’ve always been loyal supporters of Tom and there’s no reason that that will change.’
In his YouTube video, Daley said his mother Debbie already knew and had been very supportive, but added: ‘I told the rest of my family today and, well, let’s just say they had mixed opinions. Lots of them wanted me to keep it quiet.’
Speaking
in the clip, the London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist said he ‘still
fancies girls’ but had been dating an unnamed man since spring.
In his video message, Daley said: ‘I’ve been dating girls and I’ve never really had a serious relationship to talk about and now I feel ready to talk about my relationships.
'Come spring this year my life changed massively when I met someone and it made me feel so happy, so safe, and everything just feels great. And, well, that someone – is a guy.’
He admitted that ‘it did take me by surprise a little bit’ but ‘something just clicked’ and ‘it felt right’, adding: ‘My whole world just changed there and then.
'Of course I still fancy girls but, I mean, right now I’m dating a guy and I couldn’t be happier. It feels safe and it really does feel right.’
Ending months of speculation about his sexuality, he said he realised his admission was ‘going to be big’ news, but told his fans: ‘I’m still Tom.’
Stars were quick to congratulate him, with Kylie Minogue tweeting: ‘Inspiring and brave...as always!!!’ while Little Britain comedian Matt Lucas wrote: ‘Well done Tom Daley.’
The 19-year-old announced the news that he is in a ‘serious’ relationship with a man and ‘couldn’t be happier' in a five-minute message on YouTube yesterday.
His grandparents, whom he told 24 hours before he went public, said the news came ‘out of the blue’ and they feared he was ‘too young to be making this sort of decision’ but vowed to support him.
Scroll down for video
Revelations: Tom Daley has revealed he is dating a man in a heartfelt video message on his YouTube page
David and Rosemary Daley – whose son Robert, Daley’s father, died in 2011 from brain cancer at the age of 40 – also admitted they were a little ‘confused’ by the news.
Mrs Daley, 65, of Plymstock, Devon, said: ‘We only found out at 5pm on Sunday when he came to see us. We are confused because he’s always had girlfriends.
'We asked him if he was absolutely sure. He’s our first grandson from our son who died.
'Not been an easy decision': Tom tweeted a link to the video on Monday morning
Setting the record straight: Tom insisted he
wanted to break the news in a video so his words could not be twisted
and his fans would know the truth
‘But we hugged him, we thanked him for coming to see us, and we’ll be seeing him over Christmas. We’ll always be here for Tom.’
Mr Daley, 66, a former company director, added: ‘We’ve always been loyal supporters of Tom and there’s no reason that that will change.’
Sporting hero: Olympic athlete Tom put an end to years of speculation by admitting that he is bisexual
Still as motivated as ever: Tom insisted that
the new relationship has done nothing to stop his motivation ahead of
the Rio Olympic games in 2016
In his YouTube video, Daley said his mother Debbie already knew and had been very supportive, but added: ‘I told the rest of my family today and, well, let’s just say they had mixed opinions. Lots of them wanted me to keep it quiet.’
'He would be happy for me': Tom insisted his late father Rob would be proud of him no matter what
In his video message, Daley said: ‘I’ve been dating girls and I’ve never really had a serious relationship to talk about and now I feel ready to talk about my relationships.
'Come spring this year my life changed massively when I met someone and it made me feel so happy, so safe, and everything just feels great. And, well, that someone – is a guy.’
He admitted that ‘it did take me by surprise a little bit’ but ‘something just clicked’ and ‘it felt right’, adding: ‘My whole world just changed there and then.
'Of course I still fancy girls but, I mean, right now I’m dating a guy and I couldn’t be happier. It feels safe and it really does feel right.’
Ending months of speculation about his sexuality, he said he realised his admission was ‘going to be big’ news, but told his fans: ‘I’m still Tom.’
Stars were quick to congratulate him, with Kylie Minogue tweeting: ‘Inspiring and brave...as always!!!’ while Little Britain comedian Matt Lucas wrote: ‘Well done Tom Daley.’
Supportive: Tom posted this image with his
mother Debbie on Sunday night with the caption 'So lucky to have such a
supportive mum! I love you!'
Screen star: Tom is also preparing for the second season of Splash!, and is seen here watching Gemma Merna prepare for a dive
CELEBRITIES TWEET THEIR SUPPORT
'@TomDaley1994 Well done sunshine, dive into love' - RUSSELL BRAND
'Inspiring and brave…..as always!!! #RespectTom' - KYLIE MINOGUE
'Huge respect for @tomdaley1994 for coming out in such a brave manner. Lovely guy too X' - UNA HEALY
'Delighted that @TomDaley1994 is happy in his new relationship. Well done for sharing it. Good luck to them both' - GARY LINEKER
'Well done @TomDaley1994 brave decision to be honest about current relationship with man." Is it a big deal I don't think so" '- MATTHEW PINSENT
'Of course we support you @TomDaley1994 and we all love you even more for your bravery and honesty. X' - DAVID WALLIAMS
'Well done Tom Daley' - MATT LUCAS
'Very pleased for @TomDaley1994 that he has found happiness, lovely story :)' - KATIE PIPER
'So happy for you @TomDaley1994' - TOWIE'S LAUREN POPE
'Well done @TomDaley1994 really brave thing todo! #proud' - UNION J'S JAYMI HENSLEY
'What a brilliant chap that @TomDaley1994 is eh?' - RADIO 1 DJ GREG JAMES
'Insane amount of love for @TomDaley1994 today, the only man I've ever googled imaged to admire the beauty of!' - SINGER LUCY SPRAGGAN
'Inspiring and brave…..as always!!! #RespectTom' - KYLIE MINOGUE
'Huge respect for @tomdaley1994 for coming out in such a brave manner. Lovely guy too X' - UNA HEALY
'Delighted that @TomDaley1994 is happy in his new relationship. Well done for sharing it. Good luck to them both' - GARY LINEKER
'Well done @TomDaley1994 brave decision to be honest about current relationship with man." Is it a big deal I don't think so" '- MATTHEW PINSENT
'Of course we support you @TomDaley1994 and we all love you even more for your bravery and honesty. X' - DAVID WALLIAMS
'Well done Tom Daley' - MATT LUCAS
'Very pleased for @TomDaley1994 that he has found happiness, lovely story :)' - KATIE PIPER
'So happy for you @TomDaley1994' - TOWIE'S LAUREN POPE
'Well done @TomDaley1994 really brave thing todo! #proud' - UNION J'S JAYMI HENSLEY
'What a brilliant chap that @TomDaley1994 is eh?' - RADIO 1 DJ GREG JAMES
'Insane amount of love for @TomDaley1994 today, the only man I've ever googled imaged to admire the beauty of!' - SINGER LUCY SPRAGGAN
Former loves: Tom previously dated US diver Kassidy Cook
Romance rumours: He was also romantically linked to teammate Tonia Couch, but she later denied the claims
