Who is Daley Thompson’s first wife Patricia Quinlan and how many children did they have?
DALEY Thompson was once notorious for his womanising, before he went on to marry his childhood sweetheart Patricia Quinlan.
She is sure to be watching when the Olympic decathlon legend heads into the Celebrity Big Brother house, with the new series kicking off on April 7, 2025.
Daley Thompson is featuring on Celebrity Big Brother (CBB) 2025.
During his athletics career, the British decathlete broke the world record four times — and it seems he’s ready for a new challenge.
A source told The Sun how 66-year-old Daley’s non-woke opinions could raise a few eyebrows among CBB viewers.
The TV insider said: “Daley is notoriously unwoke and likes to be provocative, so it will be interesting to see how he is received by some of the younger housemates.
“As someone who was at the height of his fame in the Eighties, many of them will barely know who he is — but for a generation of older viewers he’ll be seen as a great signing.”
Who is Daley Thompson’s first wife Patricia Quinlan?
Daley once joked that “any woman only has to sit on a bed I’ve slept in to get pregnant”.
His exes include Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies — they dated in the late 1970s — but he says he doesn’t see her as the “one that got away”.
In July 2024, he exclusively told The Sun: “I never really see it like that because we are still close friends.”
“That’s the real test — the fact we’re still calling each other and I chat to her kids.”
In 1987, Daley married his first wife, Patricia “Tish” Quinlan, whom he had known since his school days.
But she has largely stayed out of the public eye beyond her connection to Daley.
How many kids does Daley Thompson share with Patricia Quinlan?
They had three children together: Rachel, 35, Austin, 33, and Elliott, 30.
Rachel was born prematurely at just 12 weeks and weighed less than two pounds at birth.
But speaking with the Independent in July 2008, Daley described this as “a brilliant experience”.
He then qualified: “But not one you’d necessarily want to go through.”
Elliott Thompson, the youngest child of Daley and Patricia, has followed in his father’s footsteps and pursued a career in athletics.
He became the national decathlon champion at the 2022 British Athletics Championships.
On the whole, the Thompson children prefer to keep their personal information out of the public domain, so little else is known about them.
Next chapter
The marriage eventually ended in 2001 after Daley began a relationship with Lisa Clayton.
He had been seeing her for over two years while still married to Tish, with their relationship reportedly starting in 1999.
Daley also later had children with Lisa — two boys named Alex and Aaron.