Tom Daley is FASHION’s April 2025 Cover Star

Tom Daley and I are playing a game of show and tell. “This is my office slash creative mess,” the British diver proudly tells me from his home in L.A. He flips his laptop around with the grace of a Tilt-a-Whirl, revealing a carnival of colourful chaos — dozens of yarn balls, knitting machines and sewing projects. Daley holds up a pair of jeans he upcycled by adding knitted green flares to the bottoms. He also just finished a sweater for his youngest son, Phoenix, made from old scarves. His current project? A crocheted green-and-black “jumper” he completed right before this call. What he forgets to show me are the five Olympic medals behind him, lying there nonchalantly next to a few stray balls of wool. When I point them out, he laughs and shrugs. “My two prized possessions: my Olympic medals and my yarn.” And I get the sense he’s being completely serious.

You see, Daley may have won the gold (and a bronze!) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but his knitting is what won over the internet. Although he had already competed at the 2008 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games, it wasn’t until a camera crew captured him crocheting poolside in Japan that non-sports fans took notice. Since then, Daley’s reputation has only continued to outgrow the 10-metre platform. Beyond being Britain’s most decorated diver, 
with the aforementioned five medals, he has become one of the world’s most unapologetically out-gay athletes, launched his knitwear brand Made With Love and frequented a frenzy of fashion shows. And in 2024, he officially announced his retirement.

After he initially stepped away from the sport in 2021 only to return for the 2024 Paris Olympics, pundits and fans alike have speculated about whether the decision will stick. “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” Daley laughs. “I think so. I can’t imagine myself going back to the diving pool, to be honest. There are many other things that I’m really excited about doing and being a part of” — such as releasing his new documentary, Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds, in June and hosting Channel 4’s knitting competition show, Game of Wool.

“The most important thing for me is to share the passion 
I have for the mindfulness of knitting,” he explains. “The joy of simply sitting down, being present and embracing 
the process.” A true show and tell indeed. Here, the diver goes deeper into his career, his kids and the clothes he can’t wait to wear.

Congratulations on becoming the host of Channel 4’s new knitting competition show, Game of Wool! Although it won’t be released until early 2026, what can you tease about the project?

We’re hoping to take knitting to the extreme. In very broad strokes, there are 10 contestants, and each week, somebody gets eliminated until we have the Game of Wool champion. But it’s not your typical knitting. I think people are going to watch this show and be like, ‘Oh, my God, I didn’t know you could do that with knit and crochet.’

You’ve famously gone viral for your crocheted creations at various Olympics. What initially inspired you to get into crafting?

I’ve always struggled to sit still; I always have to be doing something. That was kind of why I started knitting in the first place, because that was my way of doing nothing but still doing something. Especially during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; we had such severe lockdowns that knitting actually became my superpower. It allowed me to really stay present and 
have a healthy distraction.

With that in mind, let’s start at the beginning. You discovered diving when you were seven years old, and you describe it in your 2022 memoir, Coming Up for Air, as “love at first sight.” What do you mean by that?

I started after seeing people on the diving boards at a local swim session with my dad and brothers. The fact that somebody could stand on a 10-metre diving board and throw themselves off it blew my mind — it looked like 
so much fun. Once I started, I loved it, but as I climbed higher on the boards, it became terrifying. I don’t think people realize that every single diver feels scared on the 10-metre board. And if they’re not, something is wrong.

I also don’t think people realize how dangerous diving really is. You’ve broken ribs before, correct?

Yes. I’ve coughed up blood, had stress fractures in both shins and a disc bulge in my back and torn my triceps and meniscus. Now, I’m focusing on letting my body recover — hence the retirement.

“I can’t imagine myself going back to the diving pool, to be honest. There are many other things that I’m really excited about doing and being a part of.”

You competed in your first Olympics at just 14, and you were 30 during your last. Looking back, how did your relationship with the Games evolve over time?

When I was young, I didn’t fully understand the scale of the Olympics — it was just another competition that brought me joy. But during the following years, I tortured myself throughout the whole experience because I so badly wanted to do well. However, by the time the Tokyo Olympics came around, I realized I was more than just a diver. Between 2016 and 2021, I got married, we had a kid and my priorities shifted. Once I let go of defining myself by my results, it took so much pressure off me when I dove.

You’ve been in a Speedo for most of your career—and life. What was it like having your body be so public?

I had moments of real struggle. I didn’t think anything of it when I was younger, but in 2011, my performance director told me that I was overweight and that I needed to look like I did when I was 14—I was nearly 18 at the time. That was the first time I felt like somebody was looking at my body — not from a performance point of view but by what it looked like. So, yeah, around that time, I struggled with all kinds of different issues around body dysmorphia and bulimia.

Do you think the pressure for athletes to look a certain way has waned? Or do you think it’s increased because of social media?

It’s increased in certain ways, but there is a lot more support. Also, there’s so much more information about how to fuel your body correctly. Back when I was struggling, it was not something that men talked about. 
It was like, ‘Well, that only happens to girls.’ So I felt very alone in that experience.

Your documentary, Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds, is coming out in June that looks back on your whole life. How did it feel revisiting some of those moments?

There’s so much archival footage that I’ve never seen before, so it was very surreal to look back on it. It made me very emotional, but I’m really excited to be able to show it to my kids in the future: ‘This is what I did as an athlete and what I’m extremely proud of.’ I think that’s pretty cool.

Have either of your two sons — Robbie [six] and Phoenix [one] — shown any interest in diving or knitting yet?

Robbie’s come with me to a couple of diving sessions, and he jumps off the three-metre board. He has no interest in me trying to tell him what to do. [Laughs] And he also makes some knit hats with me, using this loom thing. So we’ve created some hats for his teachers and friends.

Has your style changed since you’ve become a parent?

I’ve always been into fashion, but most of the time, I’ve had to wear sports clothes. I’ve been working with my stylist, James Yardley [who], for a really long time, and we’ve kind of evolved together. I consider myself a blank canvas, and 
I wear things that make me happy. That’s why I tend to wear a lot of colour — I like to be quite expressive and 
not wear traditional shapes and textures. Life’s too short to be boring with what you wear.

When you’re choosing what to wear, are you trying to tell a story? Or is it more about your mood?

Yes and no. I like to cosplay certain vibes. Sometimes I want to be an independent coffee-shop barista in Silver Lake. Other days I want to be some kind of streetwear aficionado from Brooklyn. And then some days I want to be over-the-top campy. Whatever you feel like wearing, you should wear.

Do you have a look that you’re really obsessed with right now?

Well, obviously knitwear. I’ve been wearing lots of merino-wool sweaters, and I like to brush them out so they become super fluffy. But I’m super excited about the wardrobe for Game of Wool because I’ll be wearing knitwear on every episode. James and I have been working with different local designers from L.A. and the U.K. so really repping the handmade-knitwear game.

Speaking of handmade knitwear, what is the future of your knitwear brand, Made With Love?

Oh, my gosh, I have so many things that I want to do! I’m developing new yarns, patterns and
kits for people to be able to learn how to knit. I think eventually I would like to do a full clothing collection. When you make something by hand, you want others to recognize that it’s made by hand, and that’s the beauty of it! That’s where my brand, Made With Love, came from, because every stitch is done with love. It’s not about perfection; it’s about enjoying the process.

Photography, Nick Merzetti. Styling, James Yardley. Creative direction, George Antonopoulos. Hair and makeup, Veronica Chu/Oribe and Shiseido. Producer, Alexey Galetskiy for AGPNYC. Production, AGP West. Set designer, Ivan Fomin. Tailor, Oxana Sumenko. Lighting, Tutu Lee. Production assistant, Grace Sundarathiti. Fashion assistant, Jordy Shaffer. Set dresser, Andranik Arutiunian.