It was the seat which, in happier times, would have undoubtedly been occupied by Olympian Adam Peaty’s devoted mother, Caroline.Wherever the three-times swimming gold medallist was racing, she would reliably be there at the poolside, cheering her son on to sporting glory.So much joy did she get witnessing his success that she diligently got up at 4am every morning for years without complaint to drive Adam the 40 minutes to his training sessions at a Derby swimming club.But on Friday night, Caroline was notably absent among the crowds who gathered at the Tollcross International swimming centre in Glasgow where Adam, 31, was once more chasing a Commonwealth gold medal.It is, in fact, the first time she has not watched him compete in person – and all because of a devastating family rift which, to date, has seemed beyond repair.Instead, it was his pregnant wife Holly Ramsay – the daughter of TV chef Gordon Ramsay – who sat alone to watch Adam win the semifinal of the 100m breaststroke.Caroline, meanwhile, was at the family home in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, 264 miles away, watching the event unfold on television.Compounding her misery on Friday night was the fact that she learned that her precious son, who wed Holly at the historic Bath Abbey in December, had decided to take on his wife’s name at the Games – competing officially as ‘Ramsay-Peaty’ and wearing a swimming cap bearing the name. Adam’s pregnant wife Holly Ramsay – the daughter of TV chef Gordon Ramsay – sat alone to watch her husband win the semifinal of the 100m breaststroke Adam, 31, now wears a swimming cap with his married surname, Ramsay-Peaty It is the first time Caroline has not watched her son compete in person – and all because of a devastating family riftBefore his first race, Holly, 26, shared a photograph on Instagram of her husband wearing the cap, writing: ‘So Special.’The post, say friends of the Peatys, ‘irked’ Caroline and his father Mark. In fact, say those close to the family, they were left rather furious.‘They are aware it is the first time Adam is swimming under his new name, and it is a bit galling,’ one friend said.‘We all wonder why it has to be Ramsay-Peaty and not Peaty-Ramsay?’The decision is, perhaps, less about a snub than a generational divide. There is a Gen Z trend not just to combine surnames after marriage, but to put the wife’s surname first.Holly’s childhood friend Brooklyn Beckham, for example, became Brooklyn Peltz-Beckham when he married billionaire heiress Nicola Peltz in 2022.But whatever the reason, it is likely that Caroline would have been more understanding of the name change – which, after all, makes it clear he is very much a part of the Ramsays’ extended clan these days – if she had been by the poolside.Family friends say not being present while Adam competes has left her heartbroken. She has, in the past, watched proudly on as her son scooped three Olympic gold medals, eight World Championship gold medals, as well as numerous other accolades since he was a teenager. Friends of the Peatys say of the swimmer’s double-barrelled surname: ‘We all wonder why it has to be Ramsay-Peaty and not Peaty-Ramsay?’ (pictured: Holly and Adam in February) Caroline (C) has, in the past, watched proudly on as her son won Olympic and World Championship medals as well as other awards since he was a teenager (pictured poolside in 2024)Fortunately, the latest events have been available on Channel 5’s coverage of the Games, which she and Mark have watched from their living room.‘Caroline and Mark were watching Adam swimming but only on TV,’ said the friend.‘Despite the family rift they will be wishing him all the best.‘Under normal circumstances they would have gone up to Scotland to see him poolside. They have always been there in the past to support him and cheer him on.‘It’s very sad the way things have turned out.’The relationship between Adam and his parents came under huge strain last year in the run-up to his glossy wedding where he married Holly, the second oldest daughter of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares star Gordon and his wife Tana.Things became strained when Caroline was not invited to Holly’s hen do celebrations at the exclusive Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire in November despite Tana being present with her best friend Victoria Beckham.Photographs of the gathering were posted on Instagram, fuelling Caroline’s upset.Instead, she was at home, looking after Adam’s son George, from a previous relationship with Eiri Munro, while Adam enjoyed his stag do in Budapest.In the wake of the snub, there were angry public exchanges as each side made furious claims about the root cause of the fallout. There were allegations that Holly and Adam had vetoed Caroline’s wedding outfit, and separate claims that tensions began following the couple’s engagement in September 2024.Only Adam’s sister, Bethany, attended the wedding though she, too, has now fallen out with Holly. The demise of their relationship is significant as Bethany, who is now pregnant with her third child, was one of Holly’s bridesmaids alongside her own sisters Megan and Tilly.Adam’s latest successes are yet another reminder of the extent of the ongoing heartache for Caroline, a former nursery manager, who may also be forced to watch from afar as her son becomes a father. And it is far from clear when – or even if – she will ever meet her granddaughter.Earlier this year, she tearfully told the Daily Mail that the rift had caused a hurt so deep it was ‘as if they have cut my heart out’.Adding to the family froideur is the fact that Adam is also no longer on speaking terms with his brothers James and Richard.They were all close before he began dating Holly in 2023, after meeting her while competing on the BBC’s Strictly alongside her sister, Tilly.It is unlikely that anything will be water under the bridge for some time to come. And anyone who can mend it surely deserves a gold medal themselves.