The lavish wedding of Olympic champion Adam Peaty to Holly Ramsay was overshadowed by controversy, as it has now emerged the swimmer uninvited a close friend and former teammate in the lead-up to the ceremony.
A Friendship Fractured by Family Rifts
The retired swimmer, who married Gordon Ramsay's daughter at Bath Abbey on Saturday, is at the centre of a widening dispute that has seen several family members excluded from the event. His mother, Caroline Peaty, was notably asked not to attend, and his brother James was arrested on suspicion of harassment following the stag do in Budapest.
Now, it has been revealed that Adam Peaty also rescinded the wedding invitation to Michael Gunning, a fellow swimmer and former Team GB colleague. Sources indicate the decision was made because Gunning had remained close to Caroline Peaty following her estrangement from her son.
Who is Michael Gunning?
Michael Gunning, 31, represented Team GB from 2010 to 2016 before switching to represent Jamaica, setting national records. Since retiring, he has become a prominent advocate for LGBTQ+ visibility and mental health awareness in sport. He was once a close friend of Peaty's and even attended the couple's engagement party in December 2024.
A source told The Sun: "Michael was uninvited from the wedding as he got too close to Caroline, who has been vocal about being estranged from her son." The source added that Gunning felt "very hurt" by the couple's actions, especially given his public support for Peaty during the swimmer's well-documented struggles with mental health and alcohol in 2023.
Business Moves and a 'Dagger to the Heart'
The friendship is believed to have already been under strain. Gunning had worked as a diversity and inclusion ambassador for AP Race, a company Peaty co-founded. However, their relationship reportedly deteriorated after AP Race expanded into Saudi Arabia in August 2024, a country where same-sex relations are illegal.
As the UK's first openly gay, mixed-race swimmer, Gunning found the business move deeply conflicting. A source said: "Michael fights so hard for LGBT rights, so the Saudi Arabia move was a dagger to the heart. It left him feeling devastated and betrayed."
Despite the growing rift, Gunning publicly supported Peaty at the Paris Olympics in August 2024, posting a proud message after Peaty won a silver medal. Just days later, the Saudi expansion was announced.
The wedding guest list snubs extended beyond Gunning and Peaty's mother. His great aunt and uncle were also "brutally" uninvited via an automated message just days before the ceremony. Of his immediate family, only his sister Bethany, who was a Maid of Honour, had a full role. His father was permitted to attend but was reportedly told to sit at the back.
Ahead of the wedding, Peaty addressed the "challenging times" in an Instagram statement, urging the public to remember that "there are always two sides to every story." Metro has contacted representatives for both Adam Peaty and Michael Gunning for comment.
