Gordon Ramsay joked that Adam Peaty is ‘full of s**t’ after the Team GB swimmer dropped a retirement hint during a pre-Olympics chat. Peaty, who is dating Ramsay’s daughter Holly, is aiming to win his third consecutive gold medal in the men’s 100 metre breaststroke.
He sat down to chat with the world-famous chef in Paris, with the pair speaking about a variety of topics. Ramsay was quick to quiz Peaty on his post-Olympic plans but was unable to get a firm answer with the swimmer keeping his cards close to his chest.
« Who knows? You’re smiling, I’m not going to give you the pleasure, » said Peaty. « I’m not going to do it. You’re trapping me. » Ramsay went on to launch a typically foul-mouthed response, firing back: « You’re full of s**t! You are definitely not retiring. Absolutely, definitely not retiring. »
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The straight-talking chef managed to slip in another cheeky joke before the interview concluded, telling Peaty: « Very best of luck. Don’t f*** this up. »
It remains to be seen if Peaty will decide to hang up his goggles if he manages to achieve Olympic gold yet again. The 29-year-old considered retiring last year and took a break from swimming in order to prioritise his mental health, having been open about his struggles in the past.
In an interview with The Guardian ahead of the Olympics, Peaty recalled the moment he began to doubt if he was mentally well enough to compete at the highest level.
« It started in the water and my goggles filled with tears, » he said. » I was crying as I was swimming and I couldn’t acknowledge the situation without crying for months because it had broken me. Remember how Bane breaks Batman’s back? That’s what I did to myself mentally.
« I lost all sense of direction and purpose. I thought: ‘Why am I even here?’. I said: ‘Mel [Marshall, his long-term coach], I’ve got to get out’. I’d never terminated a training session before. I’d always gone: ‘Can I have more, can I have more?’. Like a labrador with a stick.
« I was in the shower, still crying, and Mel said: ‘What’s up?’. I told her: ‘I’m done’. Until then I’d ignored everything about that burnout. I did 25m breaststroke and I was like: ‘I don’t want to do this any more.’ I couldn’t think of anything worse and that thought had been brewing for months, potentially years.
« It was no longer worth it. I went to the shop, bought loads of chocolate and ate it. It’s what you call a breakdown because I lost all discipline, confidence and purpose. The greatest achievements are not easy and I just wasn’t willing to pay that cost any more. »
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