Tom Daley says knitting is ‘least of his worries’ after growing up queer

Tom Daley (National Lottery)

Tom Daly says knitting and crocheting are his “superpowers” and he shouldn’t be ashamed of them.

The diver-turned-presenter has teamed up with the National Lottery to launch a special scratchcard gun, with one lucky winner winning £500 in change. It’s a campaign close to Daly’s heart as in recent years he has turned his passion for knitting and crocheting into a career, launching the brand Made With Love and hosting a Channel 4 show. game of wool.

The competition show started in early November, with groups of knitters taking on a series of fun challenges to avoid being eliminated.

Sadly, like any competition, someone had to go first. It was Mr. Gordon. He explained that he wanted to prove that there was nothing shameful about knitting and that it was a hobby that everyone could enjoy.

Daly agreed, telling PinkNews:

“Growing up as a queer kid, you were already very embarrassed about being different and everything else.

“So I kind of came to a conclusion myself. I actually started to feel like that wasn’t my concern.”

The 30-year-old continued: “I discovered that knitting was my superpower and I loved being able to switch off from everything and focus on the here and now.”

Speaking about the National Lottery’s festive campaign, Mr Daly said it was a natural fit.

“Knitting and crochet are obviously a big part of my life, so when they approached me with the idea of ​​a scratch card gun, it made sense,” he told Us.

“I loved the fact that I was able to turn the cardigan into an actual scratch card.”

The cardigan has a panel that allows the winner to see if they have actually scratched it and won an even bigger prize of £500. There is Looking for 100 scratch card guns on Instagram.

But it wasn’t just the cozy knit vibe that interested Daly.

He told us: “The National Lottery has been funding British sport for a long time and it also funds so many great causes.

“For me, the National Lottery funded all the sports programs I was involved with as I grew up and rose through the ranks in the diving world, so it felt like a great reason to follow in my footsteps.”

Now, Daly is looking forward to 2026 and creating his own brand made with love Bigger, better and more accessible to everyone.

He told us: “At the moment I have been making very specific yarns, but I want to make yarns and create patterns that are accessible to everyone.

“So my plan is to try to grow Made With Love.

“I went from diving to knitting and crocheting and would like to be able to do it full time.”

To bag one of the scratch card guns, follow @tnluk on Instagram and comment “Merry Scratchmas” on the pinned post from November 10th to 30th. 100 lucky winners will receive their own scratchcard gun from December 1st and could even receive £500.