Rebecca Adlington 'nearly died' as she recalls heartbreaking miscarriage and divorce

Olympic medallist Rebecca Adlington has emotionally opened up about her devastating second miscarriage, her divorce and traumas as she revealed she 'nearly died'

Four-time Olympic medallist Rebecca Adlington has swapped her poolside presenting gig at the Paris Olympic Games for the reality of being a busy mum and entrepreneur.

After an incredible summer with the BBC, alongside Clare Balding and Mark Foster, she's back to her day-to-day life following a tough year with her husband, Andy Parsons. The couple endured the heartbreak of losing their daughter, Harper, to a second trimester miscarriage last October.

And now, Rebecca is on a mission to encourage open conversations about not only miscarriage but also emotional traumas broadly. "A horrible topic like miscarriage is hard to listen to and hard to talk about, but what happened to me really opened my eyes to the power of opening up, not only for yourself but for other people," she shares.

She continues to OK Magazine: "I was never going to talk about it publicly but because we announced the pregnancy, I sort of had to. I couldn't believe how many people got in touch, especially people saying they'd been through something similar but hadn't spoken to friends or family about it, and they just wanted to tell someone."

Rebecca reflects on the silence that often surrounds difficult discussions: "That really brought home the question of, 'Why don't we speak to each other more? Why don't we feel comfortable talking? ', and not just about miscarriage, but about those hard topics in general."

Rebecca, 35, who has partnered with Interflora for a campaign encouraging people to discuss difficult subjects, admits that speaking openly was not just about overcoming the "very, very private" nature of her experience. As a mother of two - nine year old Summer from her first marriage to ex-swimmer Harry Needs, and three year old Albie, her son with Andy - even finding the space to express herself was challenging.

"The older I get, the more I realise we're so busy with kids and there's always a distraction," she shares. "It's hard to then say, 'I'm actually really struggling at the minute.'" Rebecca, who also runs the Swim! programme across the UK, experienced her first miscarriage in August 2022 early on in her pregnancy. It heartbreakingly affects approximately 10 to 20% of pregnancies in the UK, according to pregnancy charity Tommy's.

Rebecca endured not only the agony of losing her baby but also faced a life-threatening battle with sepsis following emergency surgery after her miscarriage. It was during her routine 20-week scan in October last year that she discovered her second miscarriage, a heartbreak that came shortly after announcing her pregnancy with joy.

She delivered their daughter Harper at Wythenshawe Hospital on 20 October. Rebecca shared: "When I went through my first miscarriage, it was very much, 'How's Becky? How's Becky? ' and it was kind of hard for Andy to say, 'Nobody's asking how I am,'" adding, "He wasn't being selfish by saying that at all. And of course, I had to have surgery, so I appreciate from a physical point of view that people were asking about me because I got sepsis and nearly died."

Rebecca adds: "Miscarriage is just one example for me, but I've had therapy due to anxiety, I've been through divorce, I've been a single parent. There've been other times where I've found it hard to open up, or when I've felt a bit lost or stuck. How do you slip into a conversation about what you watched on telly that you feel really s**t about yourself?.

If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at the Miscarriage Association. You can call them on 01924 200799 or email info@miscarriageassociation.org.uk

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