Kelly Holmes: The Hidden Struggle Behind Olympic Glory – Depression, Anxiety & Coming Out

CW: This episode touches on some difficult topics including: mental health self harm and suicidal ideation.

Kelly Holmes has been the face of strength for decades - a double Olympic gold medalist and one of Britain’s most celebrated middle-distance runners. On the outside: unstoppable and a national hero.

Behind it? A breakdown no one saw. Self-harm. Silence. A mind at war with itself.

In this Chat with Josh, Kelly drops the polished version and goes deeper than ever before - into the fear, the identity she hid, and the pressure to always appear “strong,” no matter the cost.

This episode isn’t about medals - it’s about survival, vulnerability, and knowing when to ask for help.

00:00 – Teaser

00:13 – Intro & Call to Action

00:32 – Content Warning

00:44 – Greatest Chat: Kelly on talking to herself in dark moments

02:05 – Breakdown, injury & self-harm during her career

03:39 – Winning silver while silently struggling

04:50 – From breakdown to Olympic champion mindset

06:12 – Building a support system (without opening up)

08:25 – Opening up for the first time in her autobiography

10:23 – Why speaking out is strength, not weakness

11:15 – How to actually ask for help (5 support systems)

12:14 – Strength, vulnerability & survival

12:45 – Childhood, identity & feeling different

15:19 – From outsider to national hero

16:04 – Fame vs hiding her true self

17:46 – Coming out later in life & internalised fear

20:46 – The toll of hiding your identity

21:12 – “I couldn’t do it anymore” – coming out at 51

22:29 – Living freely & letting go of fear

23:15 – No regrets & becoming her true self

24:11 – Embracing change & starting again

26:15 – The power of listening (to yourself & others)

27:03 – Final question: what we should talk about more

28:05 – Outro & Call to Action

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📸 Follow Great Chat Show - @joshsmithsgreatchatshow Josh Smith - @joshsmithhosts Guest- Kelly Holmes @kellyholmes

🎥 Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@joshsmithsgreatchatshow

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About Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show

Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show is a podcast built on one belief: connection comes first.

After decades as a journalist interviewing some of the world’s most recognisable faces - from Jennifer Aniston to Timothée Chalamet - Josh has learned that great conversations don’t just happen. There’s an art to a truly great chat, and when you join the conversation, it might just spark something in your own life.

Each week, Josh sits down with actors, musicians, athletes, creators and cultural voices for honest conversations about resilience, identity, ambition, advocacy, mental health and the moments that shape who we become. Guests drop their guard and open up about the setbacks, breakthroughs and defining experiences behind the public persona.

If you’re looking for depth, vulnerability, reinvention and meaningful human connection, you’re in the right place.

Fancy a chat? Hit subscribe and join us every week.

Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show (@joshsmithsgreatchatshow) Brought to you by Next Chapter Studios (@theNextChapterStudios)

Host: Josh Smith (@joshsmithhosts) Creative Director: Carrie Rose Senior Producer: Bella Neale

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