Mark is one of the UK\u2019s most successful competitive swimmers. By the age of fifteen, he was the fastest swimmer in the UK. During a career spanning 23 years, Mark won 51 International medals, competed at 5 Olympic Games, held World, European and Commonwealth titles and smashed 8 world records. In 2008, he carried out the highest honour for a British athlete, as flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony of The Olympic Games in Beijing, which he cites as one of his proudest moments.<\/p>\n
Since retiring from the pool, Mark has forged a successful career as a commentator, TV personality, public speaker, philanthropist, and brand ambassador. A dedicated philanthropist, Mark is patron of Anaphylaxis Campaign and Regain (in support of Tetraplegic athletes). He has also used his public profile to raise awareness for Wellchild, Sports Aid, Movember, The Prostate Cancer Charity and BT Swimathon. Since making the decision to come out publicly in 2017, he is also a spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ community, promoting compassion, equality and inclusion. <\/p>\n
Always hungry for a challenge and well-known for his excellent sense of humour, Mark appears frequently as a pundit, panellist or celebrity contestant on television. His experience at the highest competitive level, makes him a popular commentator on major sporting events such as The Olympics and The Commonwealth Games. He is a panel regular on BBC\u2019s A Question of Sport, and has also taken part in the celebrity versions of Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, MasterChef, Mastermind and Pointless. He partnered Hayley Holt on 2008\u2019s Strictly Come Dancing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"