Olympic Diver Tom Daley Says He Was a 'Nightmare Child.' He Once Threatened to Jump Out of a Window (Exclusive)

After learning to aquatics astatine property 4, Tom Daley felt a heavy relationship to nan water. When he was 7, a diving instruction sparked a passion that would style his life and early career. 

Though his father, Robert Daley, supported him tirelessly — driving him to believe and cheering for him connected nan sidelines — world training camps and competitions took Daley acold from home, often leaving him lonely and overwhelmed. 

The region brought aggravated homesickness; he would outcry astatine night, telephone his mother successful distress and sound connected chaperones’ doors seeking comfort. 

In 1.6 Seconds, a caller documentary astir nan Olympic diver, nan 31 twelvemonth aged refers to himself arsenic a “nightmare child.”

“I still to this time don’t cognize why that was, but I conjecture I conscionable felt truthful safe erstwhile I was astatine home, that location was thing that was ever going to make maine consciousness that safe anyplace else,” Daley says connected camera. 

According to 1 of his earlier diving coaches, Andy Banks, nan young diver was truthful consumed by homesickness during distant competitions that he erstwhile threatened to jump retired of a window. 

“I utilized to beryllium terrified of leaving home,” Daley revealed. “I utilized to beryllium truthful frightened and worried astir everything.”

The 5-time medalist describes that clip arsenic a “traumatic period” — 1 during which he tried his champion to artifact retired nan symptom of being separated from his family and acquainted surroundings by focusing connected each nan affirmative aspects of being away, specified arsenic making friends and seeing caller places. 

His father, Robert, who passed distant from encephalon crab connected May 27, 2011, conscionable days aft Daley turned 17, was his champion friend and top cheerleader. 

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Despite winning a slew of competitions — including nan European Title astatine property 13 and nan World Championship astatine 15 — nan only personification Daley looked guardant to seeing successful nan stands was his father. He says his dada made him consciousness “invincible.” 

“When he was gone from my life, I didn't really cognize who to move to aliases who to talk to astir tons of things,” Daley tells PEOPLE exclusively. “There wasn't really anyone that would bring it retired of me, because my dada was ever personification who benignant of knew precisely what I was reasoning and really I was emotion and knew really to hole it.”

In nan documentary a young Daley appears connected camera explaining that nan champion measurement for him to header pinch his doubts and frustrations was by “sitting successful nan van speaking to my dad.” 

“He supports maine each nan way, and if I didn’t person his support system, I wouldn’t beryllium present now ‘cause I wouldn’t want to transportation on,” he said. 

As a teenager, Daley often recovered it annoying that his begetter filmed everything, but looking back, he sees it arsenic a reflection of really proud his dada was of him. Daley’s now grateful to person each that archival footage to stock pinch his ain 2 sons, Robby and Phoenix, whom he shares pinch his hubby Dustin Lance Black, 50.

“The narration I had pinch my dada is benignant of for illustration nan exemplary of what I would for illustration to beryllium for illustration arsenic a parent,” Daley tells PEOPLE. “And astatine nan extremity of nan time erstwhile it comes to my kids, I ever consciousness for illustration I want to beryllium location to support them, emotion them, attraction for them. That's what my dada instilled successful maine and that's what I want to beryllium capable to walk connected to my kids arsenic well.”

1.6 Seconds is now streaming connected Max globally and on olympics.com in nan U.S.