Tom Daley made Great Britain proud when he won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and now he's returning for what might be his final Olympic Games in order to defend his title alongside new synchro partner, Noah Williams.
The Olympic champion has amassed a considerable fanbase since his Olympics debut at the 2008 Beijing Games, and so will likely have a large crowd to cheer him on for his final events. The man who will likely be shouting the loudest is the star's husband, Dustin Lance Black, who Tom walked down the aisle with in 2017.
Dustin won't be in the crowd supporting Tom since he'll be looking after their two young children at home, but he'll certainly be tuning in like he did when his hubby snatched the gold medal at the last Olympics.
Dustin isn't just Tom's husband, as the 50-year-old has had quite a successful career behind the screen, even scooping an Academy Award. Here's all you need to know about the star...
Early life
Dustin is a film producer, writer, director and gay rights activist. The star has been open about his difficult journey as a gay man growing up in a Mormon and military community in Texas. Reflecting on his inner conflicts growing up, he said: "I'm going to hell. And if I ever admit it, I'll be hurt, and I'll be brought down."
Since coming out in high school, he has been an advocate for LGBT rights alongside his film career and is now a founding board member of the American Foundation for Equal Rights. According to his website, his work with the foundation "successfully led the federal cases for marriage equality in California and Virginia, putting an end to California's discriminatory Proposition 8".
Career
Dustin's professional life started in a theatre while at school, before he moved on to study at the prestigious School of Theatre, Film and Television at the University of California, Los Angeles. After graduating, he soon began writing and directing his own films including The Journey of Jared Price and Something Close to Heaven.
The father-of-two is perhaps best known for his screenplay Milk – an American biographical film based on the life of politician and gay rights activist Harvey Milk, who was portrayed by Sean Penn in the film. The film was released in 2008 to wide critical acclaim and, in 2009, Dustin was awarded the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Other notable work from Dustin includes his screenplay for J. Edgar, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and the play 8, which portrays the events in the Hollingsworth v. Perry trial which led to the overturn of California's Proposition 8 – a ballot initiative that threatened the right to same-sex marriage. In 2022, he created the critically acclaimed series Under the Banner of Heaven, which starred Andrew Garfield and Gil Birmingham.
Relationship with Tom Daley
Dustin and Tom reportedly met at a mutual friends' dinner in Los Angeles in 2013 and soon began dating. Shortly after, Tom came out as gay on his YouTube channel and revealed he had a boyfriend. Dustin later told Out magazine in 2016 that it was "love at first sight." Aw!
In October 2015, the pair announced their engagement on social media but in January 2017, it was reported that the pair had taken a "long break" from each other the year before. But the pair's love proved ever-lasting and they soon reunited. Tom and Dustin finally tied the knot in May 2017 at a gorgeous Shakespeare-themed ceremony at Bovey Castle, Devon.
In early 2018, Tom and Dustin announced the exciting news that they were expecting a baby via surrogacy and, in June of that year, welcomed their son, Robert 'Robbie' Ray Black-Daley, named after Tom's late father. In 2023, the couple confirmed they had welcomed a second son through surrogacy, who they sweetly named Phoenix.