Adam Peaty's father, Mark, has been photographed taking a solitary dog walk near the family home in Staffordshire, the day after his Olympic champion son's wedding to Holly Ramsay. The sighting comes as new details emerge of a painful family rift, revealing that Mark was offered a last-minute invitation to the ceremony at Bath Abbey – but with the stipulation that he sit in the back row.
A Wedding Overshadowed by Discord
Over 200 guests, including celebrity friends like David and Victoria Beckham and their children, gathered to see the 30-year-old swimmer and the 25-year-old daughter of Gordon Ramsay tie the knot. However, the celebrations were marred by a very public family dispute that led to Adam Peaty's parents being initially disinvited.
Despite the feud, Adam's sister, Bethany Peaty, was among Holly's bridesmaids, alongside Holly's mother Tana Ramsay, 51, and sisters Tilly, 24, and Megan, 27. The run-up to the wedding was described as anything but "plain sailing," with the conflict capturing national attention.
The Painful Details of the Invitation
A family source has now disclosed that Mark Peaty did receive an invitation, but under hurtful conditions. "For him to turn around and tell Beth that his dad could come and sit at the back of the church is awful," the insider told The Sun on Sunday. "Mark was told he could sit behind plus-ones — who Adam has probably never even seen or spoken to."
The source condemned the situation, stating, "Frankly, it's disgusting that it went ahead without Adam reaching out to his mum and dad beforehand." On the wedding day, Mark and Adam's mother, Caroline, spent the evening together as a family. Caroline reportedly became upset as soon as she saw photographs from the event.
A Mother's Heartbreak
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, Caroline Peaty expressed her profound sorrow. "I don’t think they understand how much they have hurt me; it’s as if they have cut my heart out," she said. She revealed this was the first Christmas her family had not been together, stating, "my family is broken."
The estrangement appears to have been a gradual process. Caroline, a former nursery manager, recalled getting on well with Holly initially, even sharing an apartment with her in Paris and confiding her fears about Adam pulling away. Holly had reassured her, "You’ve got him back now, he’ll always be part of your family," words Caroline now finds hollow.
The engagement party at Soho Farmhouse in December last year was a precursor to the trouble. While Caroline and Mark attended, Adam's wider family were not invited. Caroline sent Holly a polite message expressing her disappointment, which reportedly made Adam furious. Further tension arose from a Netflix film crew's presence at the party, filming for Gordon Ramsay's show. Caroline has since requested that neither she, Mark, nor their other son Jamie and his wife appear in any footage.
The final blows came when her 60th birthday went unacknowledged just before Christmas, and she was left to watch the Ramsays' close-knit pre-wedding festivities – including trips to Bath and Lapland – from afar. "Family has always been the centre of my life," Caroline said, "so you can imagine the hurt this has caused me."
