Why Clare Balding might not wear her wedding ring during Olympics

With the 2024 Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony kicking off today, many sports aficionados will be watching the coverage.

On the BBC, viewers will be pleased to see the familiar face of seasoned presenter Clare Balding.

Balding, who is a lesbian, has covered plenty of sports events in the past, including past Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, the Paralympics, Wimbledon, and Rugby League, so this isn’t her first rodeo.

Balding is married but keen-eyed fans of hers might notice that she doesn’t always wear a ring while on TV, so there’s a chance the ring will be missing during Olympics coverage too.

Balding was spotted without the ring during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, leading to people becoming confused about her relationship status.

Her wife previously explained the reason behind it, confirming that they are still together. She wrote on Twitter (now known as X): “I’m amazed how many have noticed Clare Balding is not wearing her wedding ring. Don’t worry. It’s safely at home with me.”

The couple felt that it was “unwise” to wear “irreplaceable” jewellery to such a big event in case it got lost.

So, if Balding is not wearing her wedding ring at this year’s Olympics, fans can rest easy knowing that she is as happily married as ever.

When did Clare Balding come out?

Balding came out as a lesbian in 2003 after almost a decade of hiding her sexuality. She kept it a secret for so long because she was terrified that coming out would put an end to her broadcasting career.

“I was worried that if people discovered I was in a relationship with a woman I would get insulted or even that I might be discriminated against when it came to choosing presenters for big events and programmes on TV. A lot has changed in the world since then, thankfully,” she previously told The Sun.

Who is Clare Balding’s wife Alice Arnold?

Balding married Alice Arnold in a private ceremony in 2015 and were previously in a civil partnership from 2006.

They first met in 1999 when they both worked for the BBC – that’s right, Arnold is an ex-BBC newsreader while Balding was the broadcaster’s lead horse racing presenter at the time.

Arnold and Balding went from colleagues to friends before becoming romantically involved.

Arnold worked on BBC Radio 4 for over 20 years until 2012 and has since written for The Telegraph and The Guardian. She now works as a radio presenter on Mellow Magic and the couple live together in London with two cats.

You can read all of our Paris Olympics 2024 coverage here.