It’s not every day you get to meet a household name, so there is an understandable buzz of anticipation in the photography studio in Barnet, London, as we prepare for the arrival of Dame Kelly Holmes.
When the retired middle-distance runner and double Olympic gold medal winner arrives it is all hugs, smiles and laughter. The energy she exudes is truly magnetic and puts everyone instantly at ease.
In 2004, AKA “the perfect year for Kelly Holmes”, Kelly competed at the Athens Olympics aged 34, a year before she’d announce her retirement from athletics. She won not one, but two gold medals, making her the oldest woman to win either race as well as the first woman to win two gold medals for Great Britain at the same games, establishing her legacy as an athletics hero, game-changer and legend. Aged eight at the time, I can still remember my relatives rejoicing as we watched from our living room.
Having had so many of her big life moments captured onscreen, Kelly’s face has never been able to conceal her emotions. Disbelief, relief, pride and sheer joy can be seen spread across her face in the clips of her at the Athens Games as she threw her arms up in victory. She was celebrated as a national treasure, and yet, she was carrying the burden of hiding a huge truth from the public: she was
