RUNAWAY SUCCESS: KELLY'S TIME TO SHINE

As Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes hosts a Victory Revisited party, she tells OK! why she finally feels content

- MITYA UNDERWOOD

The guest list for Dame Kelly Holmes's Victory Revisited party sums up the spirit of this incredible woman glamorous, inclusive and a whole lot of fun. At 54, the double gold medal-winning runner is no longer afraid to live her best life - as she puts it to OK! - and what better way to show it than hosting a party for everyone who's helped along the way? The glitzy event, held at The Savoy hotel in central London last Wednesday, marked exactly 20 years since Kelly, who's now a TV presenter, author and motivational speaker, won her second gold medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

Since her 1500m and 800m wins, she's not only become a Dame, she's also established her own charity - the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust joined the Loose Women panel, written bestselling books and become an ally and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community after coming out as a lesbian two years ago.

We wonder though, has any of it come close to the high of clinching her golds? "In a way, no, because you can't quantify anything else like that, it's evident by getting medals," she says. "But in life I've had some bigger wins. Being afraid and then coming out as a gay woman two years ago gave me freedom and happiness. Starting my charity 16 years ago and helping nearly half a million young people in various deprivation and seeing what it's done to change their lives has been amazing. Getting through quite deep mental health problems and then two years ago having the freedom to feel I could live my life as I wanted - they were all big wins. But careerwise, no, nothing reaches that Olympic high."