Tom Daley tells of father's death

Olympic hopeful Tom Daley has given an emotional account about the death of his father.

The diver recalled how he broke down and sobbed at his father Rob's bedside, holding his hand for half an hour after he died.

The 17-year-old has dedicated his performance at the 2012 Games to his dad, saying that every time he emerges from the water he expects to see him at the poolside.

In his book, My Story - which has been serialised in the Review section of the Mail on Sunday, the teen retraces painful memories about his father's protracted illness.

Mr Daley had vowed to survive long enough to watch Tom compete in the Olympics. But the 40-year-old was denied his dream when he died peacefully with his family at his bedside in May last year.

Mr Daley followed his son's promising career around the world despite his illness and had become a familiar figure at the poolside. He was first diagnosed in 2006 with a fist-sized brain tumour, of which surgeons were originally able to remove 80%. But the tumour returned and his health had deteriorated since February 2011.

Daley is among Britain's best hopes for a gold rush at the games later this year.

"As I climb out of the water, I always think about Dad," writes Daley. "He was at almost every training session and competition that I did until he died last May, and every time I train I expect to see him sitting by the poolside, grinning and cracking jokes, making everyone around him laugh."

In his book, he describes his father's passion for his diving career. Mr Daley "never let on about his condition", writes Daley, adding: "He still took me to training even when he was tired and behaved just like normal."

The teen also described how on his 17th birthday, his father cried when he couldn't get out of bed to see his son getting behind the driver's seat of a car for the first time. He died a few days later.