Ex-Olympic diver Tom Daley is one of 19 famous faces taking part in Celebrity Traitors, which begins on Wednesday evening
The Traitors is back on our screens this Wednesday night and, for the first time in the UK version of the show, we’ll be seeing famous faces from the worlds of sport, entertainment, music and more entering the iconic castle.
Just like the civilian version of the popular BBC programme, the spin-off series will see 19 celebrities becoming either ‘Faithfuls’ or, in the case of some, ‘Traitors’. The job of the Traitors is to work together to ‘murder’ the other contestants without getting caught, while the Faithfuls are tasked with successfully spotting and ‘banishing’ the Traitors by voting them off.
The cast for the inaugural celebrity series includes comedian and TV host Alan Carr, singer Charlotte Church and actress Celia Imrie. Representing the world of sport, meanwhile, is ex-England rugby player Joe Marler and Olympic diver Tom Daley.
Daley, now 31, shot to fame nearly two decades ago when he won the 2007 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award at just 13 years old. The following year, he became Team GB’s youngest competitor at the Beijing Olympics, and has since won five Olympic medals – including one gold – across five separate Games.
Daley quickly became a household name and, despite retiring from diving last year after the Paris Olympics, there is still significant interest in his life away from the pool, with over one million people subscribing to his YouTube channel and even more following him on Instagram. From his age-gap marriage to an Oscar winner to his huge personal net worth, here’s what you need to know.
Age gap with famous husband
In 2013, Daley met his future husband, Hollywood screenwriter and director Dustin Lance Black, at a party. The Olympian described their first encounter as “love at first sight”.
Despite not knowing who Black was – even though he had won an Oscar four years earlier for writing the film Milk – Daley felt an immediate connection. After exchanging phone numbers, he received a text from Black the next day and they soon began dating.
Later that year, Daley publicly announced that he was in a relationship with a man, admitting it had taken him by surprise as he had previously dated women. In a YouTube video, he said: “In spring this year, my life changed massively when I met someone, and they make me feel so happy, so safe and everything just feels great. That someone is a guy.”
He added: “It did take me by surprise a little bit. It was always in the back of my head that something like that could happen. But it wasn’t until spring this year that something just clicked. It felt right and I thought ‘OK’. And my whole world changed there and then. Of course I still fancy girls but right now I’m dating a guy and I couldn’t be happier.”
He later opened up to the Guardian about his whirlwind romance with Black, explaining: “It was a real love at first sight thing. The first night I took him to meet my friends [eight weeks after meeting] and said: ‘This is my boyfriend’.
“The next night we went on our first date. The next night, after a couple of lychee martinis, he told me he loved me. He extended his trip. We were already talking about babies and weddings – that was in the first week.”
Following their engagement in 2015, the pair tied the knot in Devon in May 2017, before welcoming their first child – Robert ‘Robbie’ Ray Black-Daley – via surrogacy the following summer. Their second son – Pheonix Rose Black-Daley – was born in March 2023.
The pair have a considerable age difference, with Daley just 18 when he met Black, who was 38 at the time. However, even with a gap of 19 years and 11 months between them, the Olympic diver has consistently defended their age difference, stating simply: “When you fall in love, you fall in love”.
He also revealed to US Weekly that although he is considerably younger than his husband, he is the “more mature” one in their relationship.
“It’s funny because the people that know us know that I’m the more mature person that kind of runs the show in the house,” Daley said, before adding: “As we get older, I think we both align very well on what we want to achieve.
“We’re both really big dreamers. I think that was the biggest thing for us, that we’re both so supportive of each other. We don’t limit the other person’s dreams. We really make each other feel like we can achieve whatever we set our minds to.”
However, their relationship hasn’t always been plain sailing. In 2015, they separated for seven months after struggling with the challenges of a long-distance relationship. During this time, Daley admitted to sending sexually explicit messages to another man, but later revealed he had confessed everything to Black when they got back together.
“This will absolutely never happen again now that we’re getting married,” he said, addressing the allegations. “The date is set, and we’re raring and ready to go for that wedding now.
“We don’t have secrets in our relationship. We’re honest and open about everything. When we were back together I told him everything. I’m 22 years old, and if you talk to someone through social media it is what it is. It was nothing more than that. We never physically met.”
Meanwhile, Black said: “Tom and I talked about anything and everything that went on. That’s the secret to how we are so close and can survive tough times.”
Ex-girlfriend
Daley has confessed that falling for Black caught him by surprise, having only dated girls previously, and he even had a girlfriend months before meeting the Academy Award winner.
During an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, he opened up about his sexuality, and said: “People say ‘why did he have a girlfriend last year?’ Well, because I had a girlfriend last year.
“It wasn’t until spring this year, it came upon me,” he continued. “I didn’t expect it and it happened. Everything kind of clicked, everything went right.”
Admitting that he was surprised by his feelings, Daley added that he did not want to label himself as gay or bisexual.
“It was the fact I was falling for a guy and it happened so quickly,” he said. “To be honest, everything is all pretty new and I don’t see any point in putting a label on it.”
Huge net worth
As one of Team GB’s golden boys, Daley has built a sizeable personal fortune since shooting to fame as a youngster.
While, under Team GB rules, he didn’t pocket any prize money for the five Olympic medals he won during his career, he is still thought to boast a net worth of approximately £3.1 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Speaking to Chris Moyles on Radio X, Daley revealed all about his earnings while competing for Team GB at international competitions, admitting he made under £30,000 annually despite making it to the podium.
“It depends on how good you are,” he said as he explained the wage structure. “There are tiers so if you qualify for the major of the year then you get a certain amount and if you come in the top eight you get more.
“Then if you win an Olympic medal you get to the top tier which I think is twenty-seven a year.”
However, he added that he was able to earn a decent living through sponsorships and endorsements, having worked with major companies including Adidas and Etihad Airways in the past.
“I’m really fortunate to have had the sponsors and that kind of stuff,” he continued. “That’s kind of part of the reason why you see athletes doing brand partnerships. But not everyone gets the opportunity to do that, which is why athletes probably need more support in that sense.”