Tom Daley speaks out on partner after getting TeamGB nod for Olympics flagbearer duty

Tom Daley claims he couldn't have a better partner as he prepares to take a primetime cruise down the River Seine in Friday night's Olympic opening ceremony.

Daley and rower Helen Glover will carry the British flag as the Games get under way under the shadow of Paris' world-famous postcard landmarks.

Daley, with one gold and three bronzes from five Olympics, and Glover, a two-time gold medallist from three appearances, were popular choices to lead in Team GB.

Pick up your ultimate guide to the Olympics! Going for Gold provides the day-by-day rundown of what's on and when. Click here to buy.

Daley is the first diver to get the honour and Glover the first woman rower, following Olympic icons Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent.

"I was sworn to secrecy, I was told two days ago. The first person I called was my husband Lance, because I wanted to tell him," said Daley, who will join the Discovery+ commentary team after competing in the 10m synchro event next Monday.

"It has been really tough, we moved to America and then I decided I wanted to go back to training, and it has been hard with the travel.

"It has been a real journey. I feel really proud to have committed to going on another Olympic journey, against all odds. I really went for it, and he was so happy for me.

"My youngest son [Phoenix] won’t remember but Robbie, who has just turned six, is going to. He is very excited; he has been learning a lot about the Olympics at school and it is going to be really special to look back at photos and say they were there.

"I'm looking forward to sharing the moment with Helen too, she is such an inspiration."

At different points in this Olympic cycle, it's fair to say that both Daley and Glover were uncertain to be in Paris.

Glover retired after the Rio Games but had a change of heart during the pandemic, returning to the sport to become the first mother to row for Team GB.

"I called my husband Steve (Backshall), I think he was crying," said Glover. "I called my Mum who definitely cried. I haven’t spoken to my Dad yet.

"It’s a pinch-me moment, because I had four years out of the sport. From Rio to Tokyo, I had retired.

"If it wasn’t for that ambition to come back and to prove people wrong, and to do it with kids, I'd be watching on television.

"Imagine if you’d told me in the middle of Covid when I had two newborn twins and a toddler, that if I did all of this, I’d be leading out the team as a flagbearer? I just feel like it’s something I would never have believed."

Watch every moment of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live only on discovery+, the streaming home of the Olympics.