Tom Daley connects with The Sunday Times Magazine for a May 2025 feature. Austin Hargrave’s (Atelier Management) portraits depict the five-time Olympic diving medalist in tailored green and poolside ease, with styling by James Yardley (The Wall Group) and Aika Flores’ (The Wall Group) grooming. The overall story captures Daley at a moment of calm, a world apart from the height of the diving board.
Tom Daley for The Sunday Times Magazine
Connecting with The Sunday Times Magazine, Daley reflects on his retirement from diving. “It feels as though that part of me that was a diver is dead,” he says. “When I watch competitions [on TV] it’s as if I’m a spirit looking in from above, thinking, ‘If I was in that, I would have done this.’ It’s really hard. You’ve got to be in it to win it. But when you’re sitting on the sidelines it’s like you’ve been benched for eternity.”
At this moment of reflection, the man who once chased Olympic gold speaks of the loss that comes with stepping back from the board, even as a new chapter opens.
Now, Daley is the subject of Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds, a Discovery+ special that premieres June 1. The documentary captures his story as both an athlete and an advocate. It shares never-before-seen footage and looks into the pivotal figures and events that shaped him.
