Adam Ramsay-Peaty needs to stop giving 'car crash' interviews and heal the bitter rift with his family, PR guru says

Published: 08:48, 31 July 2026 | Updated: 08:55, 31 July 2026 Adam Peaty has been urged to give up the 'car crash' interviews and heal the bitter family rift which is likely to impact his mental health. The Olympic swimming champion looked visibly stunned this week with his performances at the Commonwealth Games, coming away with surprising bronze medals in the 50 and 100 metre breaststroke. The 31-year-old has referenced the 'sh**' he's been going through this year as he is currently estranged from his parents Mark and Caroline, who weren't invited to his December wedding to pregnant wife, Holly Ramsay, 26. Arguably the most respected publicist in the country, Mark Borkowski, has watched on, with sympathy, while Peaty has been left flailing in interviews. Peaty's media tactics are even more surprising considering he is now under the wing of the Ramsay family brand. So to fuel the 'family feud' narrative seems self-defeating with him saying after his first bronze: 'It's hard because I know how hard I've worked. I know the sh** I've been through, which is no fault of my own, but it does take a toll.' Borkowski gives his verdict, saying: 'It's a car crash, anybody can see it's a car crash. 'Yes, it does feel a little bit DIY PR. It doesn't strike me that he's getting what he needs at this time - the best possible advice - and that's just going to compound his mental health issues. Adam Ramsay-Peaty went to kiss his wife, Holly, after the men's 50m Breaststroke Medal Ceremony at the Commonwealth Games on Monday  He then bent down and kissed her pregnant bump  'To be a successful person, whether it's in sport, fashion, celebrity, politics, whatever it is, you have to have the best possible team. 'I think, for me, he's probably in his own bubble now, and for success, you've got to face the hard truths. 'Are there people willing to discuss with him the hard truths? 'I suspect parents are more likely to give him that than a woman he loves who's about to be the mother of his child.' In fairness, Peaty hasn't dodged an interview this week, which has made him a sitting duck, says Borkowski, who reckons 'we've all been feasting off this story'. His father-in-law Gordon is a natural in front of the camera, after decades in the showbiz glare, but Borkowski can't see any PR advice coming Peaty's way. 'I think the natural reaction is to try and muddle through [interviews], look, the Ramsay family know a thing or two about making headlines. They'll have an instinct for it. 'I don't have any idea what advice is given. I have no idea who's managing his career. Adam Ramsay-Peaty said in a BBC interview that he 'wanted to get lost in being a husband and father' with his pregnant wife Holly as they prepare to welcome a baby girl together 'But you can see that there's no good going on here. Bitter family feuds are not good for the soul - and not good for a sportsman. 'The Ramsays are pretty good with media. Are they helping? I don't know. 'But I would say every time I've seen him speak about this bronze medal position, anybody can see his eyes, he's shocked,' says Borkowski. He further adds that Peaty's words are 'probably unconsciously' driving the feuding narrative and advises him to take a step back, saying: 'You don't run a sensible PR campaign driven by emotion. You have to have a cold head. 'The toxicity of the modern world of social media crashing with traditional media, with you being the content engine for that. 'What he's had to endure, what the family has had to endure, we've all feasted on that story, giving our own opinion. It has to have a long-term impact. 'You have to be pragmatic, and you have to step aside. Sometimes you can react too quickly and be emotional. 'The PR advice would be to say nothing at this moment until you've actually worked out what you can say, and you've understood what you do say has ramifications. 'You need to understand where the story will go if you say whatever you choose to say in the heat of the moment.' In a rare social media post, his mum Caroline wrote that she and husband Mark will always 'continue to support Adam from afar'. The former nursery manager penned: 'He's our son whom we love, whom we supported to reach his aspirations.' Further adding: 'We are strong, we love and we are always there for each other.' So what would Borkowski do if he was advising Peaty on his next move? 'There are many families around the British Isles that have family disputes. Some are painful, some are long term, some are short term. 'Estranged parents, estranged siblings, whatever, but they are not played out in the full glare of publicity. 'They are not descended on by thousands of influencers and newspapers, forcing families into an unfamiliar situation. 'The dynamics of celebrity take over - and there's a huge amount of noise that surrounds Adam Peaty,' he says. 'Try and fight for family harmony. It's no different to the Beckhams [with Brooklyn and his estranged parents]. 'Mediation is needed and everybody's going to have to accept they lose something in mediation. 'But reconciliation… love conquers all.' Borkowski has every sympathy for Peaty not just for the family situation he's in, but having to fight an ageing body, which in these Glasgow games has failed him for the first time, as happens to every sports star at some stage in their career. He adds: 'For a sportsman no longer to be at the top of the podium that has a deep effect. 'When your sole purpose in life is to be an athlete, you have to think, 'What is my life going to be from now? I haven't got the one thing that's kept me going all my life'. 'In that sense, that is the toughest challenge he's going to face. What is the succession planning for the future? 'Sporting heroes, particularly in this country, are expected to carry on and carry on. 'It's a massive burden and few people understand the psychological scars that carries.'