All the tea on gay Olympic hero Dame Kelly Holmes, from her partner to medal tally

Dame Kelly Holmes is a trailblazing Olympic gold medallist who has become a global gay icon, with an enviable medal haul and a new partner.

Now 54, she is one of Britain’s most successful women middle-distance runners ever and is working for Talksport at the Olympics.

Since coming out, she’s become an outspoken LGBTQ+ voice in the sporting world, and in 2023 confirmed she has “total support” for trans people after previously being “ignorant” about the issue of their inclusion in sport.

“I now want to see fair and conclusive outcome for those whose gender differs from that assigned at birth, in all walks of life, including sport”, she said at the time. 

Is Kelly Holmes gay?

Holmes came out publicly as a lesbian in June 2022.

She told the Sunday Mirror that she first realised she was gay in 1988, when she was in the armed services and a fellow female soldier kissed her. However, a fear of being prosecuted at a time when LGBTQ+ soldiers were banned from the military forced her to stay silent.

She said she could “finally breathe” after coming out publicly. “When I came out as gay after three decades, the thought of it was worse than doing it,” she told the Express earlier this year.

Since being open about her sexuality, she’s discovered much more about the LGBTQ+ community and, earlier this year, came out swinging for trans rights in the face of the ongoing furore around transgender people wanting to play sport.

She was the subject of the documentary Kelly Holmes: Being Me which presented her ideas surrounding being outed and her thoughts on the military’s ban on gay people, which lasted until the year 2000.

What sporting event did Kelly Holmes do?

Holmes has set British records at 600m, 800m and 1000m. 

She held the 800m record until 2021, but her times for the 600m, set in 2003, and 1000m (1997) have still not been bettered.

Holmes has also won medals at the World and European Championships. She won Commonwealth Games gold in 1993 and 2002.

In 2004, she was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Off the race track, Holmes has been made an honorary colonel with the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment. She has written five books and become a global motivational speaker.

In recognition of her achievements, she was appointed Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2005, the same year she retired from athletics.

In 2008, she founded the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust to support young athletes and help the lives of young people facing disadvantages in the UK.

How many Olympic medals does Kelly Holmes have?

She has competed in three Olympic Games and won three medals.

Her debut came in Atlanta in 1996 and in Sydney four years later, she won a bronze medal in the 800m.

In Athens in 2004, she won the 800m and 1500m titles.

Does Kelly Holmes have a partner?

In 2023, Holmes stepped out with her girlfriend Louise Cullen, a sports massage therapist from Northern Ireland, at the European Diversity Awards.

They first met during the lockdowns when “Lou” formed an online fitness community. Holmes later told the media: “I’ve found the one.”

You can read all of our Olympics coverage here.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.