Jump directly to the content
KNOWING KELLY

Who is Dame Kelly Holmes, does she have a partner and what’s her net worth?

KELLY HOLMES is one of Great Britain's greatest ever track & field athletes.

The retired Olympic champion won gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004 in both the 800m and 1500m.

 Kelly followed her 800 metre gold with another in the 1500 metres
1
Kelly followed her 800 metre gold with another in the 1500 metresCredit: PA:Press Association

Born on April 19, 1970, Holmes is now 54 and has been a fixture on BBC Sport since retiring - she has also appeared on various TV shows as a guest.

She was brought up in Kent and began racing aged 12, before turning her back on athletics to join the Army, serving in the Women's Royal Army Corps and later in the Adjutant General's Corps.

Holmes was inspired to return to sport having watched Lisa York - a runner she had beaten - compete at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

She remained in the Army until 1997, when increased funding allowed her to become a full time athlete.

What did she win in her career?

Kelly won her first 1500 metre Commonwealth title in 1994, she went on to regain the title in 2001.

At the Sydney Olympics in 2000 she won bronze in the 800 metres.

She won silver in the 800 metres at the World Championships in 2003.

Won two gold medals at the Athens Olympics in 2004 in both 800 and 1500 metres.

Kelly was awarded a DBE in 2005 and is officially a Dame.

Why did she retire?

Kelly decided to retire in 2005 admitting she was no longer motivated to continue, after learning of the sudden death of Tim O'Brien; a man she met whilst undergoing physiotherapy.

Speaking at the time she said: "It just totally shook me up and started making me think about my future."

She added: "I have achieved everything I wanted to in my life and want to make the most of my life from now on."

Kelly's mother Pam Norman passed away in 2017 from myeloma, a form of blood cancer and the athlete revealed she resorted to self harming on the day she died.

Kelly has said she battled with self-harm at the height of her career.

She said: "I had so many injuries and it led to depression, self-harm, a breakdown and anxiety attacks.

"No one should judge other people, because when it's your life, it's hell. I would love to tell my younger self, when she was going through it, that she would be ok. I'd tell her to talk to people."

Does Kelly Holmes have a partner?

Kelly Holmes came out as gay during Pride month in 2022.

She revealed that she is in a happy relationship and had wanted to "scream" about her sexuality for years but felt unable to speak openly.

She told the Sunday Mirror: "I needed to do this now, for me. It was my decision. I’m nervous about saying it.

"I feel like I’m going to explode with excitement. Sometimes I cry with relief."

After her first kiss with another woman, Kelly wrote to her stepdad to tell him what had happened.

"I was confused and a bit scared of what it meant," she said.

"But he accepted it straight away".

Topics