Celeb Traitors star Tom Daley reveals surprising amount he earned as a professional Team GB diver – despite Olympic wins
OLYMPIC champion Tom Daley opened up on what he was paid while representing Team GB at international competitions.
The retired diver, 31, has won five Olympic medals, including one gold, for Britain but earned below £30,000 for his efforts.
Tom, who is starring in the upcoming series of Celebrity Traitors revealed his Olympic salary during an interview on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X.
Chris put the question to him about his wages and Tom explained there was a specific structure.
“Well, kind of but it depends on how good you are. 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,” he said.
“Then if you win an Olympic medal you get to the top tier which I think is twenty-seven a year.”
Chris reacted to the amount saying: “That’s all you get for being a gold medallist, that’s rubbish.”
The dad-of-two explained that he was able to earn a decent living thanks to sponsorship and endorsements, adding that athletes who don’t have the same opportunities needed more support.
“I’m really fortunate to have had the sponsors and that kind of stuff,” he said.
“But that’s kind of part of the reason why you see athletes doing brand partnerships for that reason.”
Tom went on: ” But not everyone gets the opportunity to do that which is why athletes probably need more support in that sense.”
The radio hosts argued “it was not a lohit of money for being best in the world.”
“It’s not a lot of money at all. Because you became famous fairly quickly, as in you were obviously diving since you were three years old or something crazy, but you’ve got all that fame, and you are earning twenty-seven grand a year,” Chris said.
“Which ain’t shabby but you must have been the poorest famous person in Britain for a while.”
In another interview on Heart radio, Tom revealed he had done no diving since his retirement last year and can’t even sit by a pool when he’s on holiday with husband, Oscar-winner Dustin Lance-Black and their kids.
“You know what I spent my whole life in a pool, so my idea of going on holiday and sitting in a pool is just, it’s not the same. It’s not the same,” he told hosts Jamie Theakston and Zoe Hardman.
Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden weekdays from 06:30 – 10:00 across the UK and on Global Player