Tom Daley poses for SeaWorld body painting

Tom Daley has posed for a new YouTube video painted as a shark in a partnership with SeaWorld.

The Olympic diver unveiled a series of pictures of him being painted as a shark to mark the UK’s upcoming ‘Shark Week’ – however, the campaign has divided fans because of controversy over the welfare of animals kept in captivity by the aquamarine park chain.

Daley unveiled the picture on Twitter yesterday (July 16), saying he “may have got a bit overexcited” about Shark Week.

May have got a bit overexcited about the upcoming UK #SharkWeek! #guesswho? #fin-atic http://t.co/o2pPX2x1mR 🙂 pic.twitter.com/ZTTN8nMuVr

— Tom Daley (@TomDaley1994) July 16, 2015

While some fans welcomed the shoot, animal welfare charity PETA has criticised the 21-year-old’s decision to work with the corporation, releasing a statement saying: “SeaWorld confines social and self-aware animals to tiny pools with chemically treated water where they are forced to perform silly tricks.”

“If the company were a true conservation organisation, it would have already released these animals to appropriate sanctuaries. We commend Tom’s desire to save sharks and will be in touch with him to urge him to support conservation efforts that actually help protect fish instead of corporations that exploit animals for profit.

While he might have found himself in hot water with animal rights activists, Daley has continued to demonstrate a desire to engage with LGBT issues after meeting with a prominent Ugandan gay rights campaigner last weekend – click here to find out more.

The young sports star – who recently became a patron for Switchboard and auctioned off a pair of his trunks to raise money for the LGBT charity – admitted in June that 18 months after coming out in a YouTube video, he still finds it “weird” saying he has a boyfriend – read more here.

We recently celebrated the current Attitude HOT 100 champ’s 21st birthday with 21 of his hottest ever moments – click here to take a look.

Watch a behind-the-scenes video of Tom’s controversial shark transformation below:

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