Tom Daley has responded to reports he’s set to appear in the next series of I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.
The 30-year-old most decorated diver in British history made his Olympic debut when he was just a 14-year-old and confirmed earlier this month that he is retiring from the sport after winning silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics - his fifth Olympic medal in total over the years for Team GB.
All eyes have now turned to what he will do next, with bookmakers offering high odds that it will involve a stint in the Australian jungle.
Speaking to the Standard over video call from the home he shares in Los Angeles with his filmmaker husband Dustin Lance Black, 50, and their two sons Robbie, six, and Phoenix, one, Daley initially laughs at the suggestion.
He said: “My Syncro partner [Matty Lee] from Tokyo went into the castle in 2021 and he said he had a great time, but for me I just can’t imagine spending that much time away from my kids and not being able to contact them. I think that would be the hardest so no, not any time soon anyway.”
“Also, the eating thing freaks me out,” he continued. “There’s no way I could eat like, a kangaroo testicle. That is not for me.”
There are other aspects of TV that he’s more keen to explore in the immediate future however.
He teased: “There are a couple of things that I’m working on in the TV space like, behind the scenes and coming up with ideas in the creative space.”
“I’d like to one day become a TV host. There are lots of things that I have dreams of being able to do and I think the next couple of months are kind of laying the ground work for that.”
The Plymouth-born athlete insists that there is no chance of him doing a U-Turn over his retirement plans, but remains passionate about the sport and takes his children swimming daily, impressing on them the importance of water safety.
Daley says acting in a safe and appropriate manner around water is paramount no matter what your age and he has partnered with Malibu and the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) for their Don’t Drink and Dive campaign.
The charity initiative aims to draw attention to the fact that one in four drowning incidents in the UK are alcohol-related and Malibu together with Daley’s Made With Love brand, has launched a limited-edition capsule collection of knitted apparel with all proceeds going to RLSS UK.
Daley is an avid knitter and having created his own jumper for the Olympics, he has now turned his hand to helping create a bucket hat, sliders, briefs and sunglasses which range from £30 to £60.
Initial stock sold out shortly after going on sale and he is hopeful it could lead to more collections in future.
“I’d love to bring out more collections, he enthused. “I am working on lots of patterns because at the moment I just do knitting kits where you have the pattern, the needles and the yarn and people do it themselves, but eventually I want to get to a point where people if they don’t want to knit it, you can also buy it ready to wear.”
Keen to continue spreading his passion for knitting and crotchet, he has already tried to introduce his sons to it.
The proud dad reveals that Robbie can already make hats, but Phoenix - who he admitted is “a bit young at the moment” - derives the most joy from “grabbing the yarn, running around with it and letting it go everywhere”.
