Adam Peaty’s close friend Michael Gunning was ‘devastated’ after he was allegedly uninvited from the swimmer’s wedding to Holly Ramsay over links to Peaty’s family
It appears the Adam Peaty family weren’t the only ones shut out from his nuptials to Holly Ramsay — as one of the Olympic star’s closest mates has also been left ‘devastated’ by the entire debacle. Adam, 31, tied the knot with Gordon Ramsay’s daughter Holly, 25, during an extravagant ceremony at Bath Abbey on December 27.
But following a “toxic” family rift, his loved ones were all excluded from the special day — bar his devoted sister Bethany, who also served as one of Holly’s bridesmaids. The former GB champion had a falling out with his mum Caroline before the wedding, leaving her ‘heartbroken’ as she was absent from her son’s special moment.
And now it’s been claimed that Adam’s swimming mate Michael Gunning, who trained with Adam in Team GB, was also struck off the guest list, something he “never saw coming”. Michael posted a mysterious message on social media shortly before the wedding, stating: “Wishing everyone a magical and festive week!
“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. But made unexpected new ones, been told ‘no’ far too many times but stepped fully outside of my comfort zone.
“Life isn’t always perfect, and if you’d told me two years ago where I’d be now, I wouldn’t have believed you. But I’m learning that change can be a really beautiful thing and you should never stop fighting for your dream!”
Michael’s no-show came as a surprise, especially since the sportsman was present at the couple’s engagement do, but it’s believed he chose to stand by Adam’s mum Caroline. An insider told The Sun: “It’s not just Adam’s family who’ve been affected by the wedding feud, some old friends have been too.
“Michael was once very close to Adam and Holly and even attended their engagement party last year. 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 source went on to allege: “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. Given how close they once were, Michael never would have seen this coming.”
Michael appears to have consistently championed his former Team GB colleague, particularly when Adam was initially revealed as a Strictly Come Dancing contestant in 2021. However, this marks another occasion where Adam’s relationship with Michael has encountered difficulties, as earlier reports suggested Michael felt “betrayed” when Adam’s swimming academy AP Race — established by Adam alongside training partner Ed Baxter — extended operations to Saudi Arabia in 2024.
Michael, who publicly came out in 2018, holds the distinction of being Britain’s first openly gay and mixed-race swimmer. Homosexual relationships remain criminalised in Saudi Arabia, with certain cases resulting in capital punishment.
Following August of last year, which witnessed AP Race’s takeover of the Wave Swimming Academy in Saudi Arabia, Michael ceased his role as a vocal spokesperson for AP Race. “Many of those within the swimming community were so upset to not have Michael part of the AP Race team anymore.”
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