Olympic swimmer Michael Gunning has revealed he was left “broken” by friends who abandoned him, posting the emotional message just days before Adam Peaty’s wedding to Holly Ramsay.
The 31-year-old gold medallist, who once shared a close bond with Peaty, reflected on a turbulent year in his heartbreaking social media post.
“This year has been crazy I’ve travelled the world, had incredible new opportunities, learnt more about myself, made mistakes and taken risks, been dropped by friends and left broken by them, made unexpected new friends, been told ‘no’ far too many times but stepped fully outside of my comfort zone,” Gunning wrote.
Those connected to the Peaty family claim Gunning was uninvited from the lavish Bath Abbey ceremony after maintaining ties with Adam’s estranged mother Caroline.
Gunning and Peaty trained together as part of the Team GB squad, with the former representing both Great Britain and Jamaica during his swimming career.
He made history as the first openly gay and mixed-race swimmer in the UK and publicly commended Peaty for his support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Their professional relationship extended beyond the pool, with Gunning serving as a diversity and inclusion ambassador for AP Race, a company Peaty established in 2019 alongside training partner Ed Baxter.
When Peaty withdrew from the British Championships in 2023 amid what he described as a “self-destructive spiral” involving depression and alcohol issues, Gunning reportedly provided significant support to his fellow swimmer during that difficult period.
An insider told The Sun that the wedding fallout extended beyond just Adam’s relatives, affecting former close friends as well.
“Michael was once very close to Adam and Holly and even attended their engagement party last year,” the source said.
Gordon Ramsay accompanied his daughter at Bath Abbey | PA
“But he was uninvited from the wedding as he got too close to Caroline, who has been vocal about being estranged from her son.”
The insider added that Gunning felt particularly wounded given his public support for Peaty during his 2023 struggles.
“The family have been in touch with him and he said he is feeling very hurt by the couple especially Adam, given how publicly supportive he was of Adam when he went through a rough time in 2023,” the source explained.
“Adam really has broken us all by acting this way.”
The friendship between Gunning and Peaty is believed to have deteriorated following the couple’s engagement celebration in December 2024.
Adam Peaty has won three gold medals during his Olympics career | PA
Caroline, 59, was herself excluded from the wedding after being left off the guest list for Holly’s hen party, leaving the Peaty family feeling “pushed aside”.
Following her exclusion from the ceremony, Caroline said: “I don’t think they understand how much they have hurt me; it’s as if they have cut my heart out.”
Peaty, who has since changed his name to Adam Ramsay Peaty, later released a statement addressing the family tensions.
“There are always two sides to every story,” he insisted.