Dame Kelly Holmes tells Rob Burrow he is her 'inspiration'

Dame Kelly Holmes says Rob Burrow, pictured with wife Lindsey, is an "inspiration to so many"

Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes has hailed motor neurone disease (MND) campaigner Rob Burrow as an "inspiration".

The gold medal-winning athlete is the latest guest on the BBC's The Total Sport Podcast hosted by ex-Leeds Rhinos rugby star Burrow and his wife Lindsey.

Before talking about her own struggles, including with self-harming and angst before coming out as gay last year, Holmes praised Burrow's stoicism.

She told him: "You are an inspiration to so many, including me."

Holmes crossing the finishing line to win the Women's 800m at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece on 23 August 2004

Holmes added: "Never give up, keep fighting, I think that's what life is all about."

Responding to a question from Burrow about overcoming adversity, Holmes opened up about her mental health, including what she described as her first "breakdown" before the 2003 World Championships in Paris.

"It was only a year before the Olympic Games in Athens," she recalled. "I had already competed in two Olympic Games - one with a stress fracture and one after only 12 weeks of running because I had a tear.

"The impact of the injuries and some of the other personal things I was going through ended up with me having my first ever breakdown in a holding camp."

Despite being "at the top of my game", Holmes said she "did not want to see the next day", adding she became "a self-harmer" around this time.

She said: "Back then, nobody ever talked about mental health awareness".

Holmes elaborated on the paradoxical nature of mental illness.

"Half of you is striving to be the best you can, and half of you is pretty much dying inside because you have this battle," she recalled. "You want to be here and you want to survive, yet you feel like the elements are against you."

Despite her inner turmoil, Holmes achieved a silver medal in the championships. She added: "No one knew what was happening."

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On being gay in elite sport, Holmes said things had "changed so much", with people now able to lead "an authentic life", but she added there was "still a long way to go" especially, she said, in men's rugby and football.

Holmes praised former Wales and Lions captain Gareth Thomas for "being brave enough" to come out as gay.

She started her career in the army, where until 2000 homosexuality was illegal. Holmes recalled her distress after her accommodation was "raided" by the Royal Military Police. She told how she was left feeling "humiliated", adding this made her fearful and affected her mental health.

Called Seven: Rob Burrow, the podcast sees the Leeds Rhinos rugby league star interviewing seven sporting greats and asking seven questions. In each episode, Burrow communicates via a computerised voice he banked before he lost the ability to speak.

Rob Burrow with wife Lindsey after he was made an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on 5 April, 2022

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