Mother's pride in dive champ son

Debbie Daley said she felt "immense pride" in her son

Champagne corks have been popping at the Plymouth home of diving champion Tom Daley after he won a shock gold at his first World Championships.

Daley lives in the city with his mother Debbie, two brothers and his father Rob, who has been supporting Tom at the contest in Rome.

Mrs Daley, 38, who watched her 15-year-old son's success on television, said: "Everybody is over the moon.

"You just feel immense pride. It was really lovely."

'Just superb'

She said as soon as she knew that her son had won family members threw a party.

"I couldn't stop jumping around with his brothers and cheering," she said.

"It was just superb.

"My parents and husband's parents came round and we cracked open some champagne."

TOM DALEY

2005: Became youngest ever under-18 platform champion and youngest ever national 3m champion

2006: Second in 10m platform at British senior championships, aged 12

2007: Became youngest national 10m platform champion

2008: Became Britain's second youngest male Olympian ever

2009: Britain's first individual world diving champion after winning the 10 metres platform category

Tom Daley's life less ordinary

She added: "I wish I could have been there myself.

"But it is not always that you can watch him on television.

"You just feel immense pride and you don't believe it is happening to your son.

"It is a pretty special feeling."

Daley, who finished seventh in the 2008 Olympic final, became Britain's first individual world diving champion after winning the 10 metres platform category.

The Plymouth youngster finished with 539.85 points to eclipse China's Qui Bo and Zhou Lukin at the Foro Italico after entering the final round in third place.

Mrs Daley said "it got very loud" when he produced a stunning final dive to win. It notched up three perfect 10s.

She said: "I did not expect him to medal at all.

"I was perhaps thinking he might get into the top six but when he got into the bronze position I thought 'Yes, he has got a medal' - that would have been great in itself but in the space of a few dives he had won gold.

"I just have not stopped shaking since."

'Paid off'

Office worker Mrs Daley and her husband Rob, 39, devote their weekends and much of their weeks to supporting Tom and his brothers William, 13, and Ben, 10, who are both keen rugby players.

For Tom, that means acting as taxi service for competitions in the UK and abroad as well as for training, once a day, from 1700 to 2100 in school term times, and twice in the holidays.

"We've got used to it," said Mrs Daley.

"You don't get much time off, but I wouldn't call it a sacrifice."

Mr Daley said from Rome: "We've done all the right things and allowed Tom to focus on what he loves doing.

"And now it's paid off."

The family are now planning another celebration, for Tom's homecoming on Monday.

Mrs Daley said that her son, who has more than 25,000 followers on his Facebook page, was a "level-headed lad" and the fame would not go to his head.

"Providing we monitor it and guide him I think he will be OK," she said.

"He is the sort of boy who is going to stay focused on his training."