Updated: 2 Dec 2025Author:
David Frederickson

Holly Ramsay’s lingerie veil, Adam Peaty’s banned mum and the messiest Bath Abbey wedding of the year

  1. Holly Ramsay celebrated the start of “wedding month” by posting a photo in white lingerie, dark jeans and a full bridal veil, because subtlety is cancelled.
  2. Behind the glam shot sits a very British family feud, with Adam Peaty’s mum reportedly banned from their Bath Abbey wedding and feeling completely heartbroken.
  3. The engagement party where things started to go wrong was filmed for Gordon Ramsay’s upcoming Netflix series, so the drama now comes with a production budget.
  4. Police have been involved over alleged threatening messages, Adam has posted about “two sides to every story,” and the Beckhams are still expected to turn up smiling.
  5. For UK gossip watchers, it’s the perfect mix of bridal fashion, social media soft launch and the kind of in-law chaos you normally only hear about in a pub.

The thirst-trap bridal shot that launched “wedding month”

Lingerie, denim and a floor-length veil on the stairs

Holly Ramsay chose Instagram, a staircase and a Victoria’s Secret set to announce that December is officially “wedding month.” She posed in white logo lingerie, low-slung dark jeans and a full-length veil cascading down the steps, looking like a Gen Z bride who got bored halfway through getting dressed.

The vibe was very “soft bridal campaign, hard launch of my abs,” with minimal jewellery, straight hair and no heavy makeup to distract from the message. It was less demure bridal catalogue and more “yes, I will be this extra all month, thanks for checking.”

A celebration post with a soap-level subplot

Caption-wise, Holly kept it simple, focusing on excitement for the big day and the fact that the countdown is on. The comments, however, were full of fans gleefully acknowledging that this wedding now comes with more subplots than a Christmas special.

Supporters flooded her with heart emojis and “so happy for you” messages, while a smaller contingent politely danced around the phrase “family feud” like it was a cursed hashtag. It’s the modern equivalent of saying “congratulations” while quietly topping up your prosecco to discuss the drama later.

The Bath Abbey wedding and the banned mother of the groom

A Christmas ceremony with a missing parent

Holly, 25, and Adam, 30, are due to marry at Bath Abbey on 27 December, which is already peak British festive drama territory. It’s the kind of setting where you expect a string quartet, tasteful candlelight and maybe one discreetly drunk uncle, not active police case chatter.

Instead, the guest list has become headline news, because Adam’s mum Caroline has reportedly been banned from the ceremony altogether. For a woman who used to scream herself hoarse at poolside, going from “loudest cheerleader” to “not invited” is a brutal plot twist.

Caroline’s heartbreak and public plea

Adam’s mum has given emotional interviews describing how devastated she is to be excluded, admitting there were moments she “didn’t want to live” because of how deep the rift felt. She insists she still wants her son’s marriage to be happy and long-lasting, even as she sits at home without a seat in the abbey.

In one message, she told Adam that she loves him, forgives him and wants him to know he can always come home, which is basically the mum version of leaving the porch light on forever. It’s painful, raw and the polar opposite of Holly’s curated veil shot, yet both now sit side by side in the same news cycle.

The hen do, the aunt’s Instagram and the Ramsay factor

When a Soho Farmhouse invite list lights the fuse

The feud didn’t start with the lingerie picture; it’s been simmering for weeks. Tension properly boiled over when Holly’s hen party at Soho Farmhouse reportedly included her mum Tana, Victoria Beckham and Adam’s sister, but not Adam’s mum.

That snub set off a chain reaction of Instagram posts, family quotes to the press and relatives accusing the couple of being “divisive.” It’s the classic British family argument, just with more celebrity guest lists and fewer sausage rolls.

An aunt calls the bride “divisive” in a public post

Adam’s aunt Louise went fully public, posting that Holly had been “divisive and hurtful” by leaving her prospective mother-in-law off the hen-do invite list. She pointed out that Holly’s own family were front and centre, while Caroline, who had welcomed Holly into her home, was watching from the sidelines.

It was the sort of message most families would deliver loudly at a kitchen table, not gently composed on Instagram with handles tagged. But in 2025, if it didn’t happen on social, did the family feud even count.

Netflix, NDAs and the engagement party showdown

Being Gordon Ramsay… and also everyone’s future in-law

Because this is the Ramsay universe, there is of course a Netflix subplot. Reports suggest that the engagement party where relations began to sour was filmed for Gordon’s upcoming docuseries, “Being Gordon Ramsay.”

Guests were allegedly made to sign NDAs and hand in phones while cameras rolled, turning one family celebration into content with lighting, producers and a story arc. Somewhere, a Netflix editor is currently sitting on footage that will make half the country pause the episode and say, “Oof.”

Confrontation at the party where it all went downhill

At that party, Adam’s mum is said to have confronted Gordon about missing family members and how the whole event was being handled. Sources say that relations “went downhill” from that point, with simmering resentments slowly turning into full-blown estrangement.

The wild part is that viewers may eventually watch that turning point scored by a moody soundtrack, cut between shots of canapés and confessionals. Reality TV producers could never dream up a better collision of in-law clash, showbiz ambition and wedding politics if they tried.

Adam Peaty’s side: Instagram statements and police at arrivals

“Two sides to every story” and an ongoing investigation

Adam has broken his silence once to say there are “two sides to every story,” confirming that he, Holly and his sister are dealing with “challenging times.” He also mentioned that there is an ongoing police investigation into serious matters, which means they are limited in what they can publicly explain.

That one post poured enough cold water to suggest there’s more going on than Instagram will ever see, without actually clearing anything up. It was the PR equivalent of a lane rope in the pool: firm boundary, slightly soggy metaphor, message delivered.

Airport police and a brother on bail

Reports say Adam was met by police at Manchester Airport after his stag do amid fears he could be confronted or attacked. His brother was later arrested on suspicion of harassment over alleged threatening messages and released on conditional bail.

It’s the kind of storyline that makes you nostalgic for the days when the spiciest pre-wedding drama was someone forgetting the rings. Here we have an Olympic champion in the middle of a very public rift, walking off a flight into a scene that sounds more like a BBC crime drama than a romcom.

Gordon Ramsay, F1 weekends and mentoring a millionaire son-in-law

Dad at the Grand Prix while the feud rages

While all this plays out, Gordon Ramsay has been photographed looking relaxed at the Qatar Grand Prix, chatting in the paddock like a man whose group chat is on mute. It’s a very “work trip while the WhatsApp notifications burn” energy.

The contrast between Holly’s social posts, Adam’s serious statement and Gordon’s grid walk selfies is pure 2025 celebrity whiplash. On one screen, there’s a broken family; on another, a chef debating tyre strategies with Sky Sports.

Helping turn an Olympian into a business brand

Behind the scenes, Gordon has reportedly been mentoring Adam on building a post-pool business empire. Adam’s company is said to be worth over £1 million, with the swimmer looking increasingly like a brand rather than just a bloke in goggles.

That dynamic is one more ingredient in the stew: your coach, father-in-law and informal business adviser being the same man is a lot for anyone, never mind when there’s a wedding and a family fallout to juggle on top.

Why this story has the UK so hooked

BBC medals, ITV cooking and pure tabloid fuel

Adam is a triple Olympic champion and Strictly alum, Holly is the daughter of one of the UK’s most famous chefs, and Bath Abbey is practically built for glossy magazines. The crossover potential is enormous even before you add in the Beckhams, hens at Soho Farmhouse and Netflix cameras lurking in the background.

It hits every British entertainment nerve at once: sport, food, reality TV, posh venues and family rows that spill into the press. It’s like someone fed the phrase “What would keep the UK gossip machine busy in December?” into a simulator and hit “print.”

Relatable in-law chaos, just with a better dress code

Underneath the celebrity gloss, this is still a painfully familiar story about in-laws falling out over invitations, loyalty and who feels pushed out. Plenty of people reading about Caroline’s heartbreak will quietly think of their own family WhatsApp disasters, minus the abbey and the Olympic medals.

The difference here is that every misstep gets amplified, analysed and preserved online forever. For the couple, that means navigating normal relationship stress with the added thrill of knowing half the country has already picked a side before the organist starts playing.

Wedding month, but make it damage control

Holly’s choice to stay on the front foot

By posting the lingerie-and-veil shot, Holly is clearly choosing to keep the narrative focused on excitement rather than fallout. It sends a message that she intends to enjoy her wedding build-up even if certain branches of the family tree are on fire.

It’s also very on-brand for an influencer to treat major life milestones as both personal joy and content opportunity. Somewhere between the genuine happiness and the grid aesthetics is a woman trying to hold her nerve while the headlines swirl.

What happens between now and Bath Abbey

In the weeks ahead, we’re likely to see more curated glimpses of fittings, rehearsals and perhaps a carefully chosen statement or two. Behind those polished updates will be difficult conversations, legal caution and probably a few late-night phone calls that never make it onto Instagram.

Whether there is a last-minute thaw or the guest list stays exactly as reported, this wedding is already one of the most talked-about events of the festive season. The only thing we can safely predict is that when Holly finally swaps jeans for her actual dress, every camera in the country will be paying attention.

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