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Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black met in 2013, married in May 2017, and have two sons: Robert Ray, born in 2018, and Phoenix Rose, born in 2023. Here is the public timeline of their relationship and family, with the key dates and what Daley has said about becoming a father.
How Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black met
Daley, the British Olympic diver, met Black, an American screenwriter and filmmaker, in Los Angeles in 2013. Daley later recalled that their early connection felt like “a real love-at-first-sight thing.” After he returned to England, they kept in touch by phone and WhatsApp. Black visited about eight weeks later; during that visit, they went on a date, made their relationship official and talked about babies and weddings. The Guardian interviewed Daley about the relationship in 2018.
Daley came out publicly later in 2013. In a 2018 interview, he said he had once worried that coming out might mean he could never have a family, but that learning more changed his view. He told The Guardian, “There’s nothing I’ve ever been more sure of in my life than having a family.”
From engagement to marriage
Engaged in 2015
The couple made their engagement public in October 2015, according to The Guardian’s account of their milestones.
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Married in May 2017
Daley and Black married in May 2017 at Bovey Castle in Devon, as later reported by ITV News. Speaking to RTÉ in 2018, Daley said marriage made him feel “really safe” and described it as a source of stability. That was his personal reflection on married life, not a claim that marriage has the same meaning for everyone.
How many children do Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black have?
They have two sons. Their names and birth dates were reported in announcements covered by The Guardian and ITV News:
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- Robert Ray Black-Daley was born on 27 June 2018. The couple announced his birth after welcoming him through a surrogate in the United States, as The Guardian reported at the time.
- Phoenix Rose Black-Daley was born on 28 March 2023. The birth date is distinct from the public report: ITV News reported the announcement on 5 April 2023.
These are the names and dates reported publicly. The couple’s announcements and the coverage cited here do not establish further details about their children’s private lives.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Daley has said about fatherhood
Daley has described having a family as a long-standing priority. In a 2021 BBC Sport interview, he reflected that Robbie’s birth changed how he viewed his diving career: fatherhood gave him a sense of unconditional love that was not dependent on competition results, and he called parenthood his number-one priority. These are his own retrospective comments about the effect of becoming a parent on his outlook and career.
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Black has also discussed fatherhood in interviews, including a 2019 conversation with The Guardian. That account reflects his comments at the time and about the family then; it should not be treated as a description of their current routines. The available public record establishes the milestones and some personal reflections, not the family’s private day-to-day life.
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