Dame Kelly is making most of time in Plymouth

OLYMPIC gold medal winner, mental health champion and panto star Dame Kelly Holmes has revealed how she is loving her stint in Plymouth – and is looking forward to meeting people in the city this week.

- WILLIAM TELFORD

The athlete, currently starring in at Theatre Royal Plymouth, will be signing copies of her heart-rending memoir, Unique, at Waterstones tomorrow. The hard-hitting book tells of her successes as a double gold medal-winning Olympian, but also of her struggles, particularly her fear of being outed as a gay woman while serving in the Army. Kelly, now an unofficial ambassador for the LGBTQ+ community, has become a national treasure and star of on TV, but has not forgotten the difficulties she faced as a young soldier at a time when homosexuality was forbidden in the forces.

She will sign her memoir, published by Mirror Books, from 11am at the Waterstones branch in Drake Circus shopping centre tomorrow, and she has revealed how Plymouth is important to her, being the place where her athletic career – and now her panto career – started.