Caroline Peaty, mother of Olympic swimmer Adam Ramsay-Peaty, has broken her silence regarding a family feud, stating she will continue to support her son from a distance. The comments come after Adam Peaty suggested that the fallout had impacted his performance, stating the difficulties he had faced were "no fault of his own."
In a social media post, Caroline expressed that she and her husband, Mark, love their son and have always supported his aspirations without expectation of reward. She stated that their support was "genuinely given with the love any mother and father would do for their child."
Caroline revealed that she and her family have been targets of abuse from online trolls. She wrote on Facebook, "There are many trolls on social media and making comments about us, which are truly evil and very untrue." She added, "The very nature of our strength as a family has helped us move past the nastiness, the lies that have been told about us. We have nothing to prove, we just want to be left alone."
She indicated that the family rift has been ongoing for over eight months and that she wishes to move on with her life and enjoy her growing family. Caroline is grandmother to seven children, with two more on the way. Adam and his partner Holly are expecting a daughter in December, and his sister Bethany is also pregnant, with a baby due in January.
These Commonwealth Games mark the first time Adam's parents have not been present to support him in person at a major event. A family source told the Daily Mail that Adam is "playing the blame game now" and urged him to "take accountability for your own actions for once, Adam, instead of blaming us." The source added, "The hurt you feel over a medal does not compare to the hurt your mother felt when she said she did not want to be on this planet any more."
According to the source, the family conflict's roots trace back to 2024, when Adam and Holly reportedly did not invite wider family members to their engagement party and wedding. Caroline was also reportedly not invited to Holly's hen party. Adam had previously broken his silence on the feud via Instagram, stating there are "two sides to every story."
Following his 50m breaststroke final at the Commonwealth Games, where he finished third, Adam admitted he had struggled with "ups and downs" and felt "off" throughout the competition. He had also failed to secure a predicted gold medal in the 100m breaststroke, finishing third. He acknowledged the family feud in an interview, stating it "has taken its toll."
Adam later shared a reflective post on Instagram about his competition. He called his bronze medal a "bittersweet moment," acknowledging that not every story can be "filled with glory, victory and gold." He addressed those who wish to cause harm, stating, "We are athletes, doing something we love and that is our deepest passion... Love always wins."
He also spoke with Team England's President, cyclist Dame Laura Kenny, who commended him for his emotional and vulnerable interview. Adam spoke about becoming more emotional since becoming a father, sharing a five-year-old son, George, with ex Eirianedd Munro, and expecting a daughter with Holly.
Adam, competing as Ramsay-Peaty, stated that he had made difficult decisions in recent months to focus on his performance. He acknowledged that he felt he deserved more and that it was too early to draw conclusions about his current capabilities. He indicated that he is a fighter and looks forward to future competitions, including the Europeans in two weeks.
He emphasized the importance of showing emotion to build stronger individuals and stated that his current performance hurt because he knows he is capable of more. He also noted that he has had to ignore negative comments online, stating, "Enough is enough. This goes beyond sport. It's about being decent people. We all have to do better."