Daley was born Plymouth, Devon, England, the son of Debbie (née Selvester) and Robert Daley.[10][11] He has two brothers - William who is three years younger, and Ben who is five years younger.[12] Their father, Robert, died from a brain tumour on 27 May 2011, aged 40.[13] His early diving hero was Canadian diver Alexandre Despatie, who won gold at the 1998 Commonwealth Games at the age of 13,[14] and British diver Leon Taylor, who later mentored him.[15] Daley was spotted by a coach, taking part in regular diving lessons, and was placed in a competitive squad in September 2002. His first competition was the National Novice Championships in April 2003 where he won a medal in the 8/9 year old boys category. In September 2003, he took part in an invitational event in Southampton where he won the 1 m, 3 m and platform events, and first made his mark on the wider audience.