Freddie Woodward is opening up about something that was happening behind the scenes while he was chasing one of the biggest dreams an athlete can have.
The British Olympic diver who competed for Team Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has spoken candidly about his recovery from what he describes as a porn addiction that lasted for more than a decade.
For an athlete accustomed to performing under intense scrutiny, admitting to something so personal takes a different kind of courage.
In a candid video shared on social media, Woodward said plainly, “I was addicted to porn while training for the Olympic games.”
That admission is striking not because Woodward was an Olympian, but because it reveals the very human struggles that can exist behind an incredibly polished public image.
It Started When He Was a Teenager
Woodward explained that he first recognized something was wrong during his teenage years.
“I found it incredibly difficult to revise for exams, to do homework,” he said. “Anytime I was sat behind a computer and I came up against any sort of cognitive block, I’d immediately default to wanting to watch porn.”
What initially felt like a habit eventually became something much more difficult to control.
Woodward said the problem became unmistakable when intimate pictures and videos of himself were released online. He was just 22 at the time.
“That was a clear consequence of my porn addiction,” he explained, adding that although he tried to stop, he found that he couldn’t.
It is a particularly vulnerable detail to share publicly, especially considering how much of an athlete’s life can revolve around discipline, control, and maintaining an image of physical and mental strength.
Freddie Woodward tinha 12 anos quando começou a acessar sites pornôs regularmente. Com o tempo, o hábito foi crescendo. Conheça a história dele no vídeo!#BBCBrasil pic.twitter.com/FjhgicwVO3
— BBC News Brasil (@bbcbrasil) August 12, 2026
Turning Vulnerability Into Something Useful
Now 30 and from Sheffield, Woodward is using his experience to advocate for better education around porn addiction. He even coaches people who reach out to him through his Instagram.
But he is clear about the kind of conversation he wants.
Rather than approaches rooted in shame or moral panic, Woodward is calling for education that is “not shame-based, but honest and evidence-led.”
Speaking to the BBC about his decision to open up, Woodward said sharing his experience helped him find his voice again on social media. More importantly, he hopes his honesty can make other men feel less alone.
There is something particularly relatable about that message.
Former Team GB diver Freddie Woodward has revealed he became addicted to online pornography after first finding it as an 11-year-old.
The Olympian says he was left feeling “dirty” and is now calling for more honest, evidence-led education around porn addiction to help others… pic.twitter.com/AC57ec4AI0
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) August 7, 2026
Addiction does not always look dramatic from the outside. Sometimes it looks like repeatedly reaching for something when you’re stressed, distracted or struggling, then realizing that what once felt like a choice no longer feels entirely within your control.
Woodward wants men facing similar struggles to know that they can talk about them without being immediately judged.
His message is ultimately about taking back control. If you become someone who no longer needs porn, he says, it loses its power over you.
For someone who spent years learning how to launch himself fearlessly into the water, Woodward is now taking another kind of leap: speaking openly about what happened when nobody was watching.