Paralympic champion and Strictly Come Dancing star Will Bayley on juggling professional sport and parenthood

Yellow Days stories

Episode 2

On the court Will Bayley is a Paralympic table tennis gold medalist, world number one and Britain’s most successful Paralympic table tennis player of all time.

Off the court he has graced our screens on shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and the Pilgrimage. He confesses to Yellow Days however, that his greatest challenge is juggling work with being a dad to his two daughters Beira and Grace.  

Finding your feet

“As a professional athlete, balancing my career and parenthood can be incredibly challenging. The reality is, it’s often a juggling act and I find it hard to keep everything in perfect balance.”

“Becoming a parent changed my perspective on almost everything, especially how I approach my training and my competitions. The demands of being a parent come with a fair share of compromises, particularly when it comes to my sport.”

“I’ve had to become more flexible and less selfish, adjusting my training sessions and sometimes even missing some sessions entirely. It’s all about being there for them, and I’ve learned to accept that sometimes I won’t be able to stick to the usual schedule.”

“I struggled with that at the start, as I like structure and consistency and that’s important in professional sport. But you quickly realise that these adjustments are worth it. My priorities have shifted in ways I never imagined.”

Feeling guilt free

“The benefit of that shift is that it has made me feel less guilty about the times when I can’t spend as much time with them as I would like, when I need to focus solely on my sport.”

“Being a present parent is something I take great pride in. I take my girls to school several times in the week and I’m there for them on weekends.”

Combining work and family

“When I played in the Paris Olympics last year my family came out to watch me compete, and they’ll be with me in LA for the next one too. It means everything to have their support, I love having them by my side.”

“I often bring them to the table tennis club with me, even though they don’t play. Just having them there with me, taking in the environment, watching me train or even just hanging out, is incredibly important. It’s a way to share my passion with them, even if they’re not actively involved in the sport.”

“I’ve also had the privilege of some really fun TV projects like Strictly Come Dancing and they really enjoyed seeing me doing something totally different.”

It’s a game of adapting

“At the end of the day, balancing parenthood with the demands of professional sport is a process of constant adaptation. As a dad, I tend to stick to what I know when it comes to spending time with my girls. But being a parent means constantly learning, and I want my girls to have a variety of experiences, just as I want them to know that it’s okay to step out of their comfort zones, just like I do in my sport.”

“There are days when I feel like I’m succeeding, and there are days when I feel like I’ve dropped the ball. There’s no perfect formula for being a parent and professional, but it’s a journey that’s worth every challenge.”