Against a backdrop of personal adversity and heartbreak Tom Daley has proven himself a true inspiration

The Briton conducts himself with a maturity and poise that belies his 23 years of age and it is this which has ulitmately endeared him to thousands of fans

Tom Daley has been part of Britain's sporting landscape for the last 10 years now (Getty)

Aged 23, Tom Daley has been representing Great Britain on the global stage for more than ten years now. From his history-making feats at Beijing to London 2012 and his recent gold medal at the World Championships, the youngster has established himself as a British household name.

But it’s been far from plain-sailing. His journey has seen lows capable of halting any sporting career in its tracks: bullying, family bereavement and setbacks on the boards, Daley’s time as a diver has been fraught with difficulty and heartbreak.

But over the weekend the youngster was served another reminder of his inherent worth - not just to diving but to sport as a whole. As the 68th edition of the Cheltenham Literature Festival got under way, the lawns of Montpellier Gardens were filled to the brim with men, women, boys and girls of all ages patiently waiting to meet a sports figure who has inspired generations of fans.

For this is Daley’s true legacy. Against the backdrop of personal adversity, the Briton conducts himself with a maturity and poise that belies his 23 years of age. It’s this resilience and refusal to thrown in the towel which has handed the diving star a wide appeal among the sporting world. No wonder hundreds of fans were on hand to get copies of Daley’s new book signed by the man himself.

“There’s been so many life experiences where I’ve had to grow up really quickly,” said the two-time Olympic medallist and twice world champion. “I’ve learned either through school or through the things that have gone on with my family, my dad; you have to learn to deal with things because if you don’t, you’re just going to be miserable.”

Shortly after Daley’s 17th birthday, his father died while he was preparing for the 2012 London Olympics. “That whole year leading up to the Olympics was one of the toughest years of my life.

“My dad never got to teach me how to drive, never got to have a drink with me and never got to see me win an Olympic medal and I think that is the sad thing.”

The diver from Plymouth shot to fame in 2008 when he became the youngest male to represent Great Britain at the Olympic games. “Everything just went to plan,” said Daley recalling his top-eight finish in the Beijing diving World Cup to guarantee a place at the 2008 Olympics.

The Briton in action at the World Championships earlier this year (Getty)

“I just remember seeing my dad literally weeping. I was like ‘what’s the matter?’ He said ‘you’re going to the Olympics!’ I was like ‘yeah…’ I just had no idea.”

The then 14-year-old finished seventh and eighth in his individual and synchronisation events respectively, and with the excitement of the London 2012 Olympics already building, he quickly became the poster boy for the home games.

With a golden career foretold, Daley’s stock was on the rise but stardom was no reality for him in the years which followed. When he returned to school after Beijing, Daley recalls being bullied for long periods.

“When I got back from the Beijing Olympics a select group of people were quite nasty to me and I was the victim of, what they would call, ‘banter.’ That then became physical and I ended up being bullied.”

Daley made history in 2008 when he became the youngest male to represent Great Britain at the Olympic games (Getty)

Then, in the build-up to fulfilling what will have been Daley’s biggest dream since drawing the picture of himself on a diving board at the 2012 London Olympics when he was eight, his father Robert died.

Turning around a period which included physical and emotional bullying as well as his father dying is testament to the maturity and resolve which millions associate with this unique athlete.

“I lost my dad. He was there for every single training session. He was at every competition whether it was in the UK or in China, Australia, America or wherever. To then not even be able to have any contact or speak to him because he was no longer there was really tough.”

However, Daley did his family and home nation proud when he won bronze in the men’s 10 metre platform in London. “I hope he’d be proud of me,” said Daley, thinking of his dad, “it’s always been our dream to win an Olympic medal.”

Daley won bronze at the 2012 Games in London (Getty)

His vocation as a role model continued the next year in 2013 when he publicly came out as gay before going on to marry American film director and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

Back in the pool, Daley was training to turn bronze into gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He finished first in the preliminary round with a score that would take some catching should he replicate it in the final. However, when it mattered, Daley fell flat on his back in the semi-final and finished 18th and outside the top 12. His golden dream was in tatters.

“I just did not do well in that semi-final whatsoever, it was one of those heart-breaking moments seeing it fall away from me and just slip away from what I knew could have been my Olympic games to do the best that I could.

“When you go through the failure like that you automatically have all of this self-doubt and worry and stress. You start to doubt yourself. But then you have to forget about that because anything in the past doesn’t define you, you have to make sure that you’re living for everything right now. If you focus on what you’re doing right now, that will shape you for the future and try to get you into the direction you hope to be.”

Daley returned to winning ways in Budapest earlier this year (Getty)

In July of this year, Daley’s innate resilience was in full flow when he battled back in typical fashion to win gold at the World Championships.

Frequently in the public eye, the temptation for Daley to slip into the celebrity lifestyle is there, but the youngster remains disciplined with his training and is now aiming to fulfil his destiny and win gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It’s this sort of attitude which has driven him over the last decade and looks set to do so for the next 10 years too.

Tom Daley says his spirited mentality is a result of the attention he pays to his mental health and taking time to be reflective, this includes doing exercises for the mind which he includes in his book Tom’s Daley Plan, along with workouts and recipes.