At peace after coming out last year dame kelly holmes tells us how she’s finally living life to the full and being true to herself

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS

T here’s a joy and exuberance to Dame Kelly Holmes as she casually flings her legs over an armchair and grins into the camera, displaying carefree pleasure in the task at hand.

“Doing a fashion shoot like this allows me to show different sides to my personality with flair and colour, trying on clothes I wouldn’t normally be comfortable in,” she tells HELLO! during our exclusive shoot and interview. “I like being different to how I’ve always been, which is quiet and reserved. I love make-up, jewellery and heels so I’m embracing my uniqueness.”

We are catching up with the double Olympic champion, motivational speaker and Loose Women panellist eight months after the screening of her documentary Kelly Holmes: Being Me, in which she came out as gay at the age of 52.

Only a handful of friends and close family were aware of her sexuality – it was a secret she kept hidden from the public, colleagues and acquaintances for more than 30 years.

She was the elite, invincible and inscrutable runner and former soldier who won double gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004, in the 800m and 1,500m. But while her private life remained steadfastly private, her inner world was often in turmoil.

There is definitely a “before” and “after” Kelly, she says. “The ‘before’ Kelly was very guarded, anxious and strait-laced. I was on edge all the time and wouldn’t relax. But now I’m more expressive.

“It’s still hard,” she admits. “I love being on Loose Women, but to be free in conversation – not be such a prude, or worry about something I’ve said – that’s a transition for me. I’m having to re-learn how to be.”

FEELING FREE

Coming out last June has, she says, “given me the freedom not to worry about what people think of me, to articulate who I am in a transparent manner and prove to people I’m still the same person who they might have celebrated as an athlete, or been inspired by because I’m ex-military”.

She’s also learning to become part of the LGBTQ+ community. “I didn’t understand why all the letters were always extending, why we need such individuality, but I kind of get it now. It’s about feeling valid and having