Where is Kelly Holmes now? From the British military to discovering love with girlfriend

Two-time Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes has candidly discussed her life journey, which includes a near-decade-long career in the army before publicly coming out as gay.

The 54-year-old athlete made the announcement in 2022, ahead of her documentary, Kelly Holmes: Being Me as during her time in the Women’s Royal Army Corps in 1988, she admitted that’s when she realised her sexuality.

However, during an appearance on This Morning, the Kent-born runner revealed that she had to keep this aspect of her identity hidden, as it was illegal for a gay person to serve in the army at the time.

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The discriminatory law was only abolished in 2000 as Holmes knew that to maintain her beloved job, she would have to hide her true sexuality as during the show, she also described the “humiliating” interrogations she experienced on base.

Army struggles

Holmes opened up about the distressing interrogations that resulted in her belongings being scattered across the room. “It was really difficult because there was an interrogation that happened. In the documentary, I explain it a lot and I speak to people that dealt with some shocking things, but for me personally, having raids, it was scary, humiliating, and embarrassing.

“People were tipped off, the Royal Military Police would come into your barracks and literally turn everything upside down, take everything out, you’d be left with your belongings lying around. They were trying to find any evidence you might be. If you got tipped off… you’d put everything into a box that wasn’t anything to do with your sexuality, into a box and hide it in the boot of a car because you don’t want to risk being court marshalled.”

One year after the documentary, then-Prime minister Rishi Sunak apologised on behalf of the government for what Holmes and other gay soldiers had to go through with the former athlete responding to the apology on Loose Women, where she opened up about the horror she experienced in the form of raids which resulted in her mental health taking its toll.

“I was raided. The royal military police would come into my private space, my bedroom, and ransack it completely, be intimidating, interrogating, be in my face. I was scared. I was 23. I was petrified. I didn’t want to lose my career. For me personally that caused me mental health issues throughout my whole career. I was so petrified as the shame was institutionally driven into me, hence why I didn’t come out until last year.”

Deciding to come out

It was only in June 2022 when Holmes came out during an exclusive interview with the Sunday Mirror that she delighted in the face of being able to speak her truth on her own terms. “I needed to do this now, for me,” she said. “It was my decision. I’m nervous about saying it. I feel like I’m going to explode with excitement. Sometimes I cry with relief. The moment this comes out, I’m essentially getting rid of that fear.”

Holmes opened up about the moment she realised she was gay which came after sharing a kiss with a fellow soldier at a bathroom block. “I realised I must be gay then because it felt good. It felt more natural, I felt comfortable,” she recalled. Having admitted to being involved in secret relationships with other female soldiers, she was cognisant of the consequences she’d face if she were caught.

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“Everyone knew who was gay, but you’d never talk about it,” she continued. “There was this pub that had a back dance floor and a pool table and everyone we knew was gay used to go to this place. You could be yourself, then come back to your barracks.” Holmes decided to leave the army to pursue athletics as a full-time career in 1997 while also coming out to her family, admitting that she used her athletic career to cope with her mental health, which heavily declined in the years to come.

Loved up with her girlfriend

Holmes finally found herself being free to open up about her love life in 2022 with the Olympics legend currently in a relationship with girlfriend Louise Cullen, who she met during the pandemic and now lives with in London. The pair formed a motivational online fitness community and Cullen – who is originally from Northern Ireland – has a similar love of sports with her partner while she also runs her own sports massage company.

During an interview with the Sunday Mirror, a love-struck Holmes said: “She loves me for me. I’m just happy. I’m happy with Lou. It makes it a lot easier being with somebody that I really get on with, and who just likes me for me. Lou’s a different person, she’s a nice person. She’s somebody that doesn’t want anything. She’s not really interested in the work side of me, she doesn’t really want to be in the limelight.

“And now she’s coming to England so let’s see what happens. Who knows what is around the corner. I’m not going to put pressure on myself and her and say this is forever – but hopefully it is.”