Retired Swimmer Michael Gunning Debuts Sky Sports Documentary
Retired swimmer Michael Gunning has debuted a documentary television series on Sky Sports, with the first episode premiering on Monday.
Gunning, who was born in Kent but represented the United Kingdom and Jamaica internationally, begins the series with an interview with Blackpool Football Club striker Jake Daniels. Daniels came out as gay in 2022, the first out gay professional soccer player in the United Kingdom since 1990.
Gunning, who is also gay, and Daniels discuss what the label of “gay football player” means to him and what else Daniels’ journey has entailed beyond the public revelation of his sexuality.
The show is available to stream on Sky Sports’ YouTube Channel.
This is Gunning’s first documentary. He serves as director, producer and presenter of the project, which is produced through Sky Sports’ New Focus Fund. He has on-camera experience from a reality dating show and appeared in a documentary in 2022 for the BBC that was produced by diver Tom Daley. Gunning retired from swimming in 2022.
“Since retiring from swimming, I’ve been lucky enough to try lots of different things, but it’s been hard breaking into the TV industry,” Gunning said in a press release. “I wanted to create a piece of original content like nothing else that’s out there. It’s been a dream to work with Sky Sports to direct and produce my own documentary, and to host the whole thing is a bonus. I’m so excited to share it with the world and hopefully inspire people to step out of their comfort zones and try new things.”
The release comes at the end of the UK’s Black History Month. It’s the latest in a long line of LGBTQIA+ advocacy from Gunning, which included the opening of the Pride House at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. For World Swim Day on Oct. 26, Gunning led the first Brighton Pride Swim, which like Gunning was sponsored by Speedo. It’s one of 20 Pride Swims in Britain, Gunning using the physical and mental well-being that comes with swimming as a way to unite communities.