‘It’s galling’: Caroline Peaty’s friends tell CODIE BULLEN of her fresh anguish as swimmer son Adam bans her from pool to compete as ‘Ramsay-Peaty’, while his pregnant wife Holly gloats: ‘SO special…’

In happier times, this seat would undoubtedly have been occupied by Caroline, the devoted mother of Olympian Adam Peaty.

The three-time swimming gold medalist would always be there by the pool wherever he was competing and cheering for his son’s sporting success.

She enjoyed witnessing his success so much that she diligently woke up at 4am every morning for years without complaint to drive Adam 40 minutes to his training sessions at Derby swimming club.

But Caroline was noticeably absent from the crowd gathered at the Tollcross International swimming center in Glasgow on Friday night, where Adam, 31, was once again chasing a Commonwealth gold medal.

In fact, it wasn’t the first time she’d watched him compete in person, and that was due to a devastating family rift that, to this day, seems beyond repair.

Instead, it was his pregnant wife Holly Ramsay, daughter of TV chef Gordon Ramsay, who sat alone to watch Adam win the semi-final of the 100m breaststroke.

Meanwhile, Caroline was at the family home in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, 164 miles away, watching the event on television.

What added to his pain on Friday night was learning that his precious son, who married Holly at the historic Bath Abbey in December, had decided to take his wife’s name at the Games by officially competing as ‘Ramsay-Peaty’ and wearing a bonnet bearing that name.

Adam, 31, now wears a bonnet with his married name Ramsay-Peaty

This isn’t the first time Caroline has been able to watch her son compete in person; The reason for this is a devastating family dispute.

Holly, 26, shared a photo of her husband wearing the hat on Instagram ahead of his first race and wrote: ‘So Special’.

Friends of the Peatys say the post made Caroline and her father Mark ‘angry’. In fact, those close to the family say they are quite angry.

‘They’re aware this is Adam’s first time swimming under his new name and it’s a bit nerve-wracking,’ one friend said.

‘We’re all wondering why it should be Ramsay-Peaty and not Peaty-Ramsay?’

The decision is perhaps less about a snub and more about a generational divide. There is a Generation Z trend to not only combine surnames after marriage, but also to put the spouse’s surname first.

For example, Holly’s childhood friend Brooklyn Beckham became Brooklyn Peltz-Beckham when he married billionaire heiress Nicola Peltz in 2022.

But whatever the reason, Caroline would probably be more understanding of the name change – which makes it clear she’s part of the Ramsays’ extended clan these days – if she were poolside.

Family friends say they were heartbroken not being able to be there when Adam competed. In the past, he had proudly watched his son win three Olympic gold medals, eight World Championship gold medals and many other awards since his youth.

Friends of the Peatys say of the swimmer’s double-barreled surname: ‘We all wonder why it should be Ramsay-Peaty and not Peaty-Ramsay?’ (pictured: Holly and Adam in February)

Caroline (C) has proudly watched her son win Olympic and World Championship medals, as well as other awards, since he was a teenager (photo taken poolside in 2024)

Luckily the latest events were covered on Channel 5’s coverage of the Games, and she and Mark watched from their living room.

‘Caroline and Mark were watching Adam swimming but only on TV,’ said the friend.

‘They will wish him the best despite the discord in the family.

‘Under normal circumstances they would have traveled to Scotland to see him by the pool. They were always there to support and cheer him on in the past.

‘It’s very sad that things turned out this way.’

The relationship between Adam and his parents came under major strain last year ahead of the lavish wedding in which Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares star married Gordon and wife Tana’s second eldest daughter, Holly.

Things got tense in November when Tana was not invited to Holly’s hen party celebrations at Caroline’s exclusive Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire, despite being with her best friend Victoria Beckham.

Photos of the meeting were posted on Instagram, adding to Caroline’s sadness.

Instead she was at home, looking after Adam’s son George from a previous relationship with Eiri Munro, while Adam was enjoying his stag do in Budapest.

This snub was followed by furious public debate, with both sides making angry claims about the root cause of the incident. There were claims that Holly and Adam vetoed Caroline’s wedding outfit, and separate claims that tensions began following the couple’s engagement in September 2024.

Only Adam’s sister Bethany attended the wedding, but she too has now fallen out with Holly. The end of their relationship is significant as Bethany, who is currently pregnant with her third child, was among Holly’s bridesmaids, along with her own sisters Megan and Tilly.

Adam’s latest exploits are another reminder of the extent of ongoing heartache for Caroline, a former nursery manager, who may have to watch her son become a father from afar. It is not yet clear when, or even if, he will meet his grandson.

Earlier this year, she tearfully told the Daily Mail that the dispute had caused pain so deep it was “as if they had ripped out my heart”.

The fact that Adam is no longer on good terms with his brothers James and Richard also adds to the frideur in the family.

They were all close before he started dating Holly in 2023 after meeting her while competing with sister Tilly on BBC’s Strictly.

It doesn’t seem likely that water will come under the bridge for a while. And anyone who can fix it definitely deserves a gold medal.