Dame Kelly Holmes: ‘Getting old is a privilege but ageing I don’t like’

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Yet despite still exercising nearly every day – she does one long run of eight to 10 miles and two shorter runs of three to six miles per week, plus a few weight-training sessions – in recent years she’s been troubled by aches and pains, and reveals: “I wasn’t able at one stage to even do a press-up, I had so much pain going through my body, my wrists and hands. “I really do feel that has supported me – I don’t get the body pains, and I’m feeling stronger generally, in everything I do,” she says. So for me now it’s more around using nutritional supplements to support what I do on a day-to-day basis, and that is to keep fit and healthy.” And while part of that keeping fit involves regular runs, including park runs, and Holmes ran the London Marathon eight years ago in an impressive three hours 11 minutes, she has no immediate plans to run a marathon again, exclaiming: “I ran it in 2016 and I surprised myself with the time I ran, because I’m not a distance runner whatsoever.” She was, however, “honoured” to be the starter for this year’s men’s elite London Marathon, but insists it didn’t whet her appetite to run the distance again herself. I think it’s about having habits – I’ve made a conscious decision to walk more, so it’s more about that, rather than the numbers.” Holmes now spends much of her time travelling the world as a global motivational speaker, and although she’s had mental health struggles in the past, admitting the pressures of being an elite sportswoman led to depression and self-harming, she now says very happily that her mental health is “really good”, admitting that she feels much more freedom since she came out as gay in June 2022.