Former Olympic diver Freddie Woodward has opened up about a deeply private struggle with compulsive pornography use that followed him through the height of his sporting career.
When Freddie Woodward competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics, he had reached the pinnacle of a remarkable diving career. By his early twenties, the Sheffield athlete had competed at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships, won major medals and trained alongside British diving stars including Tom Daley and Jack Laugher.
But behind the scenes, Woodward says he was struggling with compulsive pornography use that had begun when he was a teenager.
At the height of his diving career, he says he was accessing adult sites up to 10 times a day.
“If I’d had a bad training session, it was always the thing I could turn to,” Woodward told the BBC.
Woodward says he first encountered pornography aged 11 and began accessing increasingly explicit material soon afterwards.
“I realised I had a problem when it came to homework and exams,” he said. “Every time I sat down to revise, all I wanted to do was open those sites.”
He also began sending nude photographs to strangers as part of what he described as thrill-seeking behaviour. After the images were shared online, the incident contributed to the breakdown of a relationship.
Despite the impact on his relationships and mental wellbeing, Woodward said he felt unable to stop and carried the problem around like a “ball of shame”.
When porn use becomes a problem
While Woodward describes his experience as a porn addiction, “porn addiction” itself is not a standalone diagnosis in the World Health Organization’s ICD-11.
The WHO does recognise compulsive sexual behaviour disorder (CSBD), which involves a persistent inability to control repetitive sexual behaviour that causes significant problems in someone’s life.
Importantly, frequently watching pornography doesn’t necessarily mean someone has a disorder.
That distinction is particularly relevant for LGBTQ+ communities, whose sexuality has historically been subjected to stigma and pathologisation. Sexual desire or porn use shouldn’t automatically be treated as unhealthy because it falls outside somebody else’s idea of what is “normal”.
Research into pornography and sexual dysfunction is also more nuanced than some headlines suggest. Studies have produced mixed results, and recent research indicates that problematic use may be more relevant to sexual difficulties than simply how often someone watches porn.
Breaking the cycle
Woodward retired from competitive diving in his early twenties, several years before he says he finally stopped watching pornography.
He credits a change in mindset with helping him, moving from seeing himself as someone constantly trying to quit to simply considering himself “someone who doesn’t watch porn”.
Today, Woodward travels and creates social media content about food and culture with his partner, former competitive swimmer Chika Izumi.
Izumi has supported his decision to speak publicly about his experience.
“I’m so proud of him,” she said. “I know he’s going to help so many boys and men.”
Woodward’s story highlights an important distinction: pornography itself isn’t automatically a problem, nor should sexual desire be treated with shame.
But when any sexual behaviour begins to feel uncontrollable or significantly interferes with relationships, study, work or mental wellbeing, seeking support can be an important step.
