Dame Kelly Holmes’ stellar athletic career captured the nation’s attention, but it’s her subsequent campaigning for mental health and, more recently, her documentary Being Me that has won our hearts. And of course she can add another feather to her cap as she joins our special crew of WR Warriors
Words: Rachel Ifans
Dame Kelly Holmes
They say don’t meet your heroes, don’t they? But when it comes to Dame Kelly Holmes, don’t listen to them. They are wrong.
Not only has she made a phenomenal mark on British athletics, delighted us on the track, had a huge impact on the lives of teenagers and retired athletes as founder of Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, flown the flag for LGBTQ+ rights, and taken on every challenge that’s come her way with bravery and dignity, she’s also got amazing hair, a mega-watt smile and is just so damn nice!
You could be forgiven for thinking that we would have nothing in common with someone as awesome as Dame Kelly, but you’d be wrong. In this very special Warrior interview, we’re talking menopause and women’s health, injuries, wanting to run forever, being true to yourself, loving your mum, managing your mental health and even keeping your competitive side in check at the local parkrun…
It was on a cross country course that young Kelly cut her teeth as a runner. Everything about school was a struggle – apart from PE and seeing her friends – so there was an immediate joy in finding something that she was good at.
She explains: “I remember my PE teacher Debbie Page encouraging me into cross country. All that wind, mud and rain and I had an afro back then so I didn’t like the idea of it at all!”
Kelly was a natural runner and although she didn’t win that first race, the experience ignited a competitive fire in her belly that had hitherto lain dormant. “I remember losing that first race and getting this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I hated the fact that I’d lost!” she laughs.
But Kelly laced up again but this time she moved to track and field. She remembers: “The next summer I won all the school races and was even beating the year group two years above me.” This success was a gamechanger for a young girl who’d struggled to find her place at school. She says:
“I loved that I was good at something that everyone else found hard and I loved that running gave me my identity.”
In fact, Dame Kelly still cites Debbie Page, her PE teacher, as her hero – for getting her
