Tom Daley's life less ordinary in the two years he's been away from diving
"We're going into the Palace. Casual," said Tom Daley to camera in June 2022 just before going into an actual palace.
Alongside husband Dustin Lance Black, the pair were headed into the late Queen's abode – Buckingham Palace – to represent British Olympians, alongside former heptathlete and London 2012 Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill, at the Platinum Jubilee marking 70 years of Elizabeth II's rule.
A lifetime event, for sure, but for one Thomas Robert Daley it was one of many incredible moments he experienced in between claiming Olympic gold in the 10m synchronised platform diving alongside Matty Lee, at the delayed Tokyo 2020, Games and announcing a return to the sport.
Three years to the day from that win, on 26 July, the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will begin and Daley, as of just 10 months ago, wants to be there, to make it a fifth Olympic Games.
But what has the father of two been up to during his time away from the sport?
Olympics.com takes a look at Daley's life less ordinary.
- As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
- Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
Family life key for Tom Daley
First up, reuniting with his family after the tricky COVID-19-affected Tokyo Games in which loved ones and fans were unable to attend.
Winning Olympic gold away from his family was particularly hard for Daley after losing his dad to cancer in 2011. But footage showing his husband and mum, Debbie Daley, wildly screaming and celebrating when he clinched the longed-for gold, enabled them to share the moment.
Daley immediately flew to Calgary, where husband Black, an Oscar-winning filmmaker was shooting TV series Under the Banner of Heaven, and arrived to hugs and celebrations from family. Young son Robbie was filmed running to the front door when he realised papa was home.
Since then, the Black-Daleys have added another member to the fam, with Phoenix Rose Black-Daley arriving in March 2023.
The return of fans and loved ones at the Paris Games, is quite the draw if an athlete thinks they have enough in the tank to go on.
And Daley does.
Sport, fashion, and knitting
A month later and it was off to the Met Gala, one of many entertainment-focused events that Daley enjoys.
Additional soirees include fashion extravaganza, Vogue World, and attending the Ami Alexandre Mattiussi Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week.
Daley also took the time to enjoy playful aspects of his personality, teaching former British gymnast and now YouTuber extraordinaire Nile Wilson how to dive, and explore his fashion side with outfits such as the one emulating Kylie Minogue in her striking red outfit for the Grammy award-winning, Padam Padam.
A creative soul himself, Daley has become renowned for his love of knitting, particularly poolside during competitions, which he first started "as a way to unwind between dives… less time in my head and more time in my hands I guess! That sense of calm and focus".
That passion has now grown to a thriving business – Made with Love – in which he aims to inspire the next generation of crafters by sharing knitting masterclasses and step-by-step projects, online and via his book. He even created a cardigan for actress Gillian Anderson, which her character Dr Jean Milburn wore in popular British teen comedy drama, Sex Education.
Extending the brand name to other opportunities, Daley has also set up a podcast in which he interviews a range of contemporary thinkers from former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, to teenage environmental activist and fellow knitter, Greta Thunberg. Fellow Brit and Olympic bronze-medal winning sprinter Dina Asher-Smith makes an appearance, too.
A memoir, Coming up for Air, was also published post Tokyo 2020, and a children's book called Jack Splash, with the tagline, 'Sometimes friendship means diving into trouble' shows that Tom's not just been sat poolside dangling his feet in the water during his time out.
Matters close to Tom Daley's heart
Daley also feels privileged to be able to turn his attention to matters close to his heart. A particular poignant moment during his two-year break was when he carried the Queen's baton into the stadium at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, alongside six LGBTQ+ athletes and advocates from the participating countries.
"In over half of the Commonwealth countries, homosexuality is still a crime and in 3 of those countries the maximum penalty is the death sentence. These laws are a legacy of colonialism. This opening ceremony for us is about showing LGBTQ+ visibility to the billion people watching."
Daley also fronted a BBC documentary 'Tom Daley: Illegal to Be Me', in which he travelled around the Commonwealth, visiting countries where same sex relationships are a crime.
UK TV charity fundraiser, Sport Relief, saw Daley raise money by completing an extreme four-day triathlon that covered 290 miles – from his home town of Plymouth on the UK's south coast to London.
"The hardest 4 days of my life but worth every mile," he said after he'd got his breath back.
Two months later, in July 2022, he received an OBE for services to diving, LGBT+ rights and charity, and somehow managed to end up "talking all things knitting with HRH Prince of Wales 😂".
You know, the current King of England.
To put it succinctly, Daley has been living life to the fullest, so why has he returned to the hard graft of training when he's achieved so much already?
Well, he wasn't going to, but then, a trip to the museum with his family changed everything.
Tom Daley during the Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England
What now for Tom Daley?
"Tokyo 2020 was an absolute high for me," posted Daley on his Instagram account to his 3.5 million followers, interestingly, clearly at the pool and with the iconic London 2012 venue as the backdrop.
Savvy fans knew something was afoot.
"Finally won that Olympic gold medal with Matty and felt like my diving career was complete," he began. "I have been enjoying taking time away from the pool and so happy to never set foot in a diving pool."
But then the family took a trip to Colorado Springs, which, to Daley's surprise, turned out to be the Olympic City of the USA.
"I took Robbie to the Olympic Museum to have a little look around and I was just sitting there absolutely bawling my eyes out, crying. I realised that I hadn't really grieved my diving career. I hadn't really thought about what life would be like without diving.
"I remember Robbie turning to me and saying, 'Papa, I want to see you dive at the Olympics'."
From that moment, Daley made the decision to aim for Paris.
In his first international competition back, Daley, alongside Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, Scarlett Mew Jensen and Dan Goodfellow, took gold in the mixed team event at the Doha World Championships.
He also has more chance for medals in the 10m platform synchro and individual on Thursday 8 February, and 9-10 February, respectively, with a GB quota berth for Paris 2024 for the former also on the line.
So, there's some steps to go first before booking his ticket to Paris but he's on his way with less than six months to go.
Daley trains in London from time to time, but now resides mostly in Los Angeles with his family.
And wouldn't you know, that's where the 2028 Olympic Games will be hosted...