Kelly Holmes

Celebrating 20 years since her iconic victories at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Dame Kelly Holmes is revered worldwide as a beacon of inspiration and a role model.

Enlisting in the British Army at the age of 17 and serving for nearly a decade, Dame Kelly excelled as a qualified HGV driver and Physical Training Instructor. In 1998, she was honoured with an MBE for her services to the armed forces, an accolade presented by the now King Charles.

Her illustrious 12-year international career saw her secure numerous medals in the Commonwealth, European, and World championships, and at the Olympic Games. Her crowning achievements were the two gold medals won at the Athens 2004 Olympics in the 800m and 1500m races, making her the first British woman to achieve this feat at the same Games. The following year, she was awarded a Damehood for her contributions to sport by the late Queen Elizabeth.

In 2008, Dame Kelly founded the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, an organisation that partners world-class athletes with disadvantaged young people to help them realise their potential. Her efforts earned her a Beacon Award for Philanthropy in 2017 and the Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Arthur Bell Trophy in 2023.

Appointed as the Honorary Colonel of the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment in 2018, she became the first person to be attached to a regular regiment with this title, a decision ratified by the late Queen Elizabeth.

Dame Kelly received an honorary doctorate from the University of York in 2020, adding to the 12 she has been awarded since her retirement from athletics.

In June 2022, her compelling documentary, 'Kelly Holmes: Being Me', was broadcast on ITV. Now living as her authentic self, she continues to use her platform to advocate for diversity and inclusion.

For over two decades, Dame Kelly has been a global inspiration as a motivational speaker, a television presenter, a trained Mental Health First Aider, and a steadfast advocate for numerous causes.