Who is Fatima Whitbread's partner? What we know about I'm a Celeb contestant and Olympic medal winner

Fatima Whitbread was just one of the I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here! contestants who is getting used to home comforts again after a second stint in the jungle. Reality TV viewers will recognise Whitbread from first appearing on the ITV show in 2011 when she finished in third place and also got a cockroach stuck up her nose. She went on to come in third place during the April 2023 I'm a Celebrity South Africa series, which featured previous contestants exclusively returning to the jungle.

But, there’s much more to Whitbread than her ability to survive in the Australian or South African bush. So, just who is she, and does she have a partner and a child? This is what you need to know.

Who is Fatima Whitbread?

Fatima Whitbread (née Vedad), MBE, is a British retired javelin thrower. She is known for breaking a world record with a throw of 77.44m in the qualifying round of the 1986 European Athletics Championships, and became the first British athlete to set a world record in a throwing event.

She went on to win the European title that year, and took the gold medal at the 1987 World Championships. She is also a two-time Olympic medallist, winning bronze at the 1984 Summer Olympics and silver at the 1988 Summer Olympics. In 1987, she received the accolade of BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Whitbread's later career was affected by a long-term shoulder injury, which she believed dated back to her world record throw in 1986. The last event she took part in was the 1990 UK Athletics Championships, where she sustained a further shoulder injury. As a result of these injuries, in 1992 she formally retired from competition.

In her personal life, Whitbread spent most of her childhood in children’s homes, but also had an abusive mother who she was sometimes left in the care of. In an interview with The Observer in 2003, she said: "It was a nightmare of a childhood and it was only because I loved sport so much that I got through it and met my true mother”. 

The true mother Whitbread referred to was javelin coach Margaret Whitbread, who adopted her when she was 14. Margaret and Fatima had met three years earlier, when Margaret coached a netball match Fatima was playing in. They then met again a short while later when Fatima took up javelin and Margaret began to coach her. Fatima, who was then 11, became close to Margaret, her husband and her two sons, and they would later all become family.

How old is Fatima Whitbread?

Whitbread was born on 3 March 1961, which means that she is now 62-years-old.

How tall is Fatima Whitbread?

Whitbread is 1.68 metres, or 5 feet 6 inches, tall.

Is Fatima Whitbread married?

Fatima Whitbread is not married at present, but she was formerly married to her manager Andrew Norman. He was a promoter for the British Athletics Federation, and the pair first met when she performed in competitions. Whitbread wrote in her 2012 autobiography “Survivor: The Shocking and Inspiring Story of a True Champion” that she began a personal relationship with Norman shortly after his divorce in 1986.

There was an 18-year age gap between the pair. They married after more than 10 years together in 1997, but went on to divorce in 2006. The pair remained friends, but Norman died the year after in 2007 at the age of 64 after suffering a heart attack.

Who is Fatima Whitbread’s partner?

Fatima Whitbread is not currently thought to be in a relationship.

Does Fatima Whitbread have a son?

Yes, Fatima Whitbread does have a son, Ryan, who she shares with her ex-husband Norman. He was born on 25 February 1998, which means he is now 25. She has spoken about going through IVF treatment after she struggled to conceive, revealing during a piece she wrote for the Daily Mail that she suffered a miscarriage during her second round of IVF. It was during a third round of IVF that Ryan was conceived. 

"Ryan was no bigger than a bag of sugar and it seemed so unbelievable that nature can produce such a tiny being,” she wrote. "I will never forget that feeling when the midwife laid Ryan on my stomach. I felt instant love, instant warmth. I was almost 37 and a mum at last. ‘We finally did it, Fatima,’ said Andrew as he kissed my brow. ‘This time we crossed the finish line."

Ryan keeps himself out of the public eye and so very little is known about what he is doing now. The mother-and-son duo raised money for Action for Children in 2022, when they climbed up Mont Blanc to raise funds for the charity. They also appeared on an episode of Celebrity Cash in the Attic in 2011.

What is Fatima Whitbread’s net worth?

Fatima Whitbread is said to have an estimated net worth of £4 million, as reported by The Sun.