‘I crochet like Tom Daley – I know exactly why he does it at the Olympics’

Tom Daley’s diving glory isn’t the only thing that has got people talking at the Olympics.

He took home the silver medal alongside Noah Williams this week at the Paris Olympics in the 10m synchro event. But it’s his activities in the stands that people look out for too.

Tom, 30, is a keen knitter and crocheter, and it always gets people talking on social media. He was photographed with his knitting needles over the weekend, working on a personalised jumper.

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I’ve seen people divided online – some mocking him, and some loving it. But as someone who took up the hobby last year, I completely understand why he does it.

I’m not going to pretend that my life is as stressful as his, or that I have as much pressure on me. I’m not representing my country on an international level, of course.

But in the months that I’ve taken up crochet, I’ve fallen completely in love with the hobby. I’ve made clothes, blankets, home decor and even a little plushie or too for friends.

It brings the creativity into my life when my day-to-day work is sitting in front of a computer. I’m the sort of person who needs a creative outlet, otherwise I will go crazy.

Nothing makes me happier than gifting something I’ve made to a family member – my mum and grandma are the main too recipients – or wearing something I’ve made with my own two hands.

I decked myself out at Mighty Hoopla festival in two things I’d made – a rainbow cardigan and a summer shirt. They’re things nobody else has, because I created them myself, and it’s always nice to get compliments.

But the main reason I’ve got so hooked on crochet (excuse the pun, if you know you know) is that it is such a stress relief. It’s a slow hobby, not something you can rush or that takes a lot of physical effort.

It’s exactly what I need after a long day of writing about Katie Price’s latest court drama, or who’s just been dumped on Love Island.

I can sit for a few hours and completely switch off, just focusing on the current project I’m working on (which is a cardigan for my mum, if you were wondering).

For that time I’m sitting with my crochet hook and ball of yarn, I’m not thinking about anything else.

Had a tough day at work? Feeling anxious about weekend plans? Forget it, my head is focused on my crochet.

So for Tom – who released his own crochet and knitting book, which, yes, of course I have it – it must be the perfect distraction from the pressure he must feel to perform for his country.

His first Olympic Games were in 2008 in Beijing. He’s now just won silver at his fifth Olympics in Paris.

He’s been representing Team GB at the Olympics for 16 years. It’s a pressure I’m sure nobody would understand unless they actually live it.

So who cares if you think him getting his knitting out in the stands is stupid, or sad, or something old ladies do. It clearly brings him joy, and, I’m sure, allows him to forget, just for a moment, what he has riding on his very well toned shoulders.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk