
Tom Daley reveals a stranger once asked if he needed help changing his son's nappy as he opens up about the assumed incompetence male same-sex parents face
The retired diver, 31, shares sons Phoenix, two, and Robbie Ray, six, with his screenwriter husband Dustin Lance Black, 50.
They met in 2013 and wed two years later before welcoming their little ones who were sweetly seen supporting Tom poolside at the Paris 2024 Olympics last year.
But in a new interview he has touched on how two dads often feel like they have to 'overachieve'.
He told The Times: 'When you're same-sex parents, you feel as though you have to, again, overachieve. Someone asked if I wanted them to change Robbie's nappy for me.
From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.
'You don't want people to judge you. Because it matters to us so much, and we really care that we're doing the best job that we can.'
In the interview he also spoke about first meeting Dustin, revealing that they named their future children on their first date and said 'I love you' on their second.
Before Dustin he had mostly dated women but never felt like he could 'fall in love' with them.
He said: 'I'd been with girls for a very long time and so I had felt as though, if I really wanted to, I could suppress [my sexuality].
'But after meeting Lance I was, like, oh maybe this 'conflicted' thing isn't just sexual. It was actually what my heart wanted as well.'
On Valentine's Day 2018, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child on Instagram.
Their first child Robert Ray Black-Daley was born June 27, 2018.
Tom and Dustin welcomed their second son with an official announcement in the Times on April 5, 2023, reading: 'Black-Daley on 28th March to Thomas Robert Daley and Dustin Lance Black, a son, Phoenix Rose.'
Last year Dustin shared a heartfelt tribute to his 'warrior' husband To m after he announced his retirement from diving following the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Tom claimed a silver medal in the synchronized 10-metre platform with Noah Williams to complete his set of medals, following a gold in Tokyo and three other bronze medals.
He had originally left open the possibility of competing at a sixth Games in Los Angeles – where he lives – in 2028. But Britain's most successful diver then confirmed he retiring, 16 years after making his Olympic debut as a 14-year-old in Beijing.
After his partner Dustin has shared a gallery of snaps of Tom, reflecting on his 'magnificent journey' as he 'hung up his trunks' for good.
The pair, who met in 2013 and tied the knot four years later, looked considerably younger in some photos together as they posed with Tom's medals.
Dusting wrote: 'It has been the honour of my life to be by your side on this magnificent journey, Tom. You are a shining example that true warriors can also have true hearts.
'As you now hang up your trunks, I will deeply miss supporting your 'impossible' diving dreams in whatever small ways I could over the past 10+ years, and screaming like a mad man as you turned every single one of those dreams into reality.
'I also feel certain you have a long list of new 'impossible' dreams, and I will be there by your side all the way, baby.
'For now, I am going to look back with joy and love (and more than a few tears) at some old photos of the early days when I first had the tremendous good fortune to witness a warrior fight to achieve the 'impossible.'
'You did it, Tom. You did it all. I love you so much.'
Re-sharing a video of Tom getting emotional while discussing his retirement, Dustin penned: 'I love this huge hearted warrior so much.
'Oh sweet Tom. I will miss supporting your diving dreams in whatever small ways I could and screaming at the top of my lungs as you turned everyone of your dreams into reality.
'But I also feel certain you have a long list of new 'impossible' dreams and it will be my honour to keep cheering you on at every magnificent turn'.
Dustin also shared a snap of the 'first competition' he attended to support Tom and thanked him for letting him be a 'small part' of his journey.
He added: 'From one of the first competitions I ever got to attend. It will take a long while to sink in that this spectacular sporting journey of yours has found its ending.
'But what an incredible ride it has been. Thank you for letting me be a small part of it. Truly the honour of a lifetime'.
Following competing at the Olympics, Tom told Vogue: 'It was emotional at the end, up there on the platform, knowing it was going to be my last competitive dive.
'But I have to make the decision at some point, and it feels like the right time to call it a day.
'I've spent my whole life doing this and being able to let go of it is going to be hard. It's going to be a major adjustment.
'I would love for people to remember me for being a person that persevered, who persisted and didn't give up on his dream until he was able to achieve it.
'To currently be Britain's most decorated diver, I feel so incredibly proud. When I look back, I'm really, genuinely satisfied with what I've done.'
Daley, who has two children, stayed at the Olympics after his diving event to do punditry for Eurosport and now wants to pursue more TV work.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ex-Game of Thrones star makes history after breaking deadlift record AGAIN and his celeb fans rush to congratulate him
Ex-Game of Thrones star Hafthor Bjornsson has broken the world deadlift record again after benching an impressive 505kg. The actor and bodybuilder, 36, who is best known for portraying The Mountain on the series, proudly shared the achievement over on his Instagram during the weekend. It's not the first time he's made history, as back in 2022 he competed in the same challenge and became the champion of lifting a whopping 500kg. Taking to social media on Sunday, the GoT star wrote: '505kg WORLD RECORD! History made again' alongside the video. Celebs including Terry Crews and Arnold Schwarzenegger commented on the video, celebrating his win. Hafthor barely even flinched as he squatted down to lift the mind-boggling amount of weight. He could be seen straining as he completed the exercise in perfect form - beating World's Strongest Man Eddie Hall to the crown. The former World's Strongest Man who played a bone-crushing character in the hit show consumes three meals and three snacks daily, all adding up to 8,000 calories. The Icelandic native said they are vital to maintain his Herculean frame — with the 6-foot 9-inch strongman weighing in at 423lbs. Revealing his daily meal plan in a YouTube video, Bjornsson said every morning begins with three eggs, 1lb of cooked rice, half a cup of strawberries and two cups of milk. He also has a shake that consists of one cup of orange juice, nearly one cup of Skyr yogurt and half a cup of blueberries. He then returns to the kitchen for a 'snack' of a 4oz steak, nearly two more cups of rice, half a cup of vegetables and an avocado. He has the same for lunch, skipping the avocado, before washing everything down with another shake without the blueberries. The amazing win comes not long after the actor and his wife Kelsey shared an emotional post on the anniversary of the devastating day they lost their daughter. Back in November, the Icelandic strongman and his wife expressed their grief as they mourned their baby girl Grace with a poignant, joint Instagram post. Björnsson and his wife lost their second baby after suffering from a miscarriage. In a lengthy post, the couple addressed their daughter: 'One year. 365 days have passed since your day of birth. 366 days have passed since we learned of your death in my womb. One year, 365 days, without you here, with us.' The pair included photos of the brief time they had with their baby daughter. 'You didn't get to feel the comfort of my arms or breast. You didn't get to look up and see my face or your daddy's face. 'We didn't get to see your first smile, your first tooth, your first giggle. We didn't get to clap and cheer when you first sat up or pulled yourself to stand,' they wrote. 'So many firsts that we will be missing for the entirety of our lives.' The pair explained that they were sharing their post to bring awareness and reduce the stigma of miscarriages and pregnancy loss.


The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Karen Carney fights back tears over women's football backlash at Euro 2025 final
A former England player and ITV presenter was moved by a compilation of footage showing past criticism of women's football ahead of the Euro 2025 final on Sunday, 27 July. As the Lionesses prepared to face Spain, the broadcaster aired an interview with Beth Mead in which the striker recalled how she was laughed at when she started her career playing for a boys' team. Karen Carney, one of England's most-capped players, became emotional after the interview finished as she reflected on how far the sport has come. "There is a little girl and also a little boy that now knows that there is a place for everybody to play football," she said.


The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ben Stokes enjoying ‘high quality' games between England and India despite draw
Ben Stokes praised a showing of 'high-quality cricket' between England and India as the fourth Test ended in a draw. England reached 669 in their first innings before the game fizzled out, with India closing the day on 425 for four. KL Rahul fell for 90 before Jofra Archer then dismissed Shubman Gill for 103 and Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar both scored tons. Stokes hailed the quality of the Test, telling Sky Sports: 'I thought Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett's opening partnership was incredibly crucial in the way we could sort of lay the foundations for the game. 'The opening partnership, the way they took the Indian attack on, the rate they were managing to score at it sort of allowed us to go, 'right we're going to try and bat once' and look to hopefully bowl India out. 'It started great yesterday with two wickets in the first over, but it was one of those wickets where if you got in, you felt like you were going to be the one to make the mistake to get out. 'It's been a back-and-forth series so far, we've been throwing punches and India have been throwing punches back at us, it's just been real high-quality cricket – two very good teams. 'Got to give credit to the way India came out here and performed under the pressure they were.' With the game destined for a draw, the final stages of the match saw India's batters electing against shaking hands with 15 overs left. Jadeja and Sundar scored hundreds before shaking hands and Stokes revealed he offered to shake with the aim of protecting his bowling attack. 'I think all the hard work was done by India, they both played incredibly well,' Stokes added. 'It got to that point where there was obviously only one result and there was no chance I was going to risk any of my big, fast bowlers for injuries with one more game to go. '(Liam Dawson) has bowled so many overs this game, his body started to get a little bit tired and cramp up in the legs. 'I wasn't risking any of my frontline bowlers for that last half-an-hour.' Stokes appeared to be troubled by his left leg and a problem in his right shoulder, and admitted he was 'pretty sore'. 'It's been a big five or six weeks,' he said. 'I'll always try and give everything that I possibly can. Try and run through a brick wall. 'I ask the guys up there to run through a brick wall for the team. I'll always try and do the same to try and lead by example in that sense. ' Bowling, being out in the field all that kind of stuff it is tough work, but pretty sore.' When asked specifically about his shoulder, he added: 'It's just a workload thing, got through a fair few amount of overs and just everything starts creeping up on you. 'I'll keep trying, keep going. As I always say to all the bowlers, pain is only an emotion.'