Rebecca Adlington won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and went on to add two bronze medals in London in 2012, but the former swimmer has faced personal heartache in recent years
It’s been 17 years since Rebecca Adlington catapulted to stardom at the Beijing Olympics.
At just 19, the Mansfield-born swimmer clinched gold in both the 400-metre and 800-metre freestyles, smashing the world record in the final of the latter. In doing so, she became the first woman to secure swimming gold for Team GB in nearly half a century, as well as the first British swimmer to bag more than one gold medal at a single Olympics in 100 years.
Adlington quickly became a household name, adding Commonwealth, European and World Championship golds to her collection, along with two bronze medals at the London Olympics in 2012.
The following year, she hung up her goggles from all competitive swimming at the tender age of 23. However, she has since carved out a successful career in punditry with the BBC, while also dipping her toes into reality TV, featuring on shows such as I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Celebrity MasterChef and The Jump, reports Wales Online.
However, on a personal level, recent years have been challenging for Adlington, with the former Team GB star navigating a divorce and two heartbreaking miscarriages, before being diagnosed with a life-altering condition. Here’s what you need to know.
Parting ways with husband and rediscovering love
Adlington tied the knot with her first husband Harry Needs in 2014, five years after they crossed paths as budding professional swimmers.
Less than 18 months after welcoming their daughter Summer, the marriage between the Olympian and her partner came to a friendly close.
In an online post, the swimmer announced: “It’s after much thought and sadness that we confirm our separation. It is on amicable terms and we still remain close friends.”
She added: “We move forward with respect for one another and our focus and commitment is on parenting our gorgeous daughter Summer.”
Years later, Needs revealed his bisexuality in a candid interview with GuysForYou, expressing that he never had the opportunity to fully explore his sexuality prior to his marriage with Adlington. Despite his struggles with anxiety and depression, he stated: “I didn’t say a thing. For me personally, my journey with Rebecca was a destination to love.
“I think as an unconfident bisexual man it was extremely difficult back then to admit it even to myself, especially considering I had zero experience with the same sex. Once I knew I loved Rebecca, I was committed to that relationship and its journey for the rest of my life.”
After coming out to his ex-wife following their split, he shared how supportive she was and noted: “I never felt I deceived her, because I loved her and like I already said, I never had the time to discover my full sexuality.”
Adlington eventually found love again, this time with facilities manager Andy Parsons whom she met on the dating app Bumble.
Opening up about the beginnings of her relationship during an appearance on Loose Women, Adlington explained: “I was like Oh God, I don’t want to do online dating. I was just terrified by all my friends’ stories.
“I just got to the point where I thought that’s how you meet people nowadays, it’s very rare that you just bump into somebody and meet them. So, I was like ‘Oh I’ll give it a try to see how it goes’ and literally I was on the app two weeks, matched Andy my partner and just hit it off.
“I gave it another two weeks of chatting and then we met up and went out on a date and the rest is history.”
Adlington shared her personal life updates, revealing that after dating Parsons for three years, they tied the knot in 2021 and were blessed with a son, Albie, in the same year.
Tragic double miscarriage
Discussing the painful experiences alongside the joys, Adlington spoke openly about suffering through two harrowing miscarriages, the first occurring in 2022.
She described the heartbreak of the miscarriage being discovered at a hospital visit for a routine 12-week scan, which led to emergency surgery and battling sepsis. Sharing this difficult chapter with her Instagram followers, Adlington expressed the importance of recognising support during such times: “It’s such a devastating time but important in times like these we remember we aren’t alone and have so much support,” Adding details about her recovery from multiple health issues, she said: “After a day of treating sepsis, a kidney infection and a fever, I’m slowly on the mend. Long way to go but I’m in the right place”.
However, more heartbreak was in store for Adlington and her husband a year later when she suffered another miscarriage – this time at 20 weeks pregnant. Her daughter Harper was stillborn in October 2023, with the “truly heartbroken” couple releasing a statement saying they would “forever love her”.
“I don’t really have the words right now but unfortunately we went for our 20-week scan this week and they found no heartbeat,” Adlington shared. “I gave birth to our angel, Harper, on Friday at 7pm. We held her, and had time with her. We will forever love her and remember her always.
“I don’t have the strength or words right now and don’t feel ready to share this news. However, I can’t pretend to be ok or fake a smile. I can’t have people ask me how pregnancy is or when I am due as I still look pregnant. I don’t have the strength to tell this news individually.
“We are so truly heartbroken,” she added. “Our beautiful girl. Rest in peace.”
Adlington later admitted that she “hated [her] body” following the tragedy and “couldn’t help but blame herself”, telling the Times: “It was very hard for me to accept.
“I’m very logical so I wanted to find out why this had happened. But the post-mortem showed there was no reason; sometimes things just happen. I have to come to terms with that somehow and stop obsessing about it.”
Life-changing diagnosis.
Adlington recently received widespread praise after revealing that she has been diagnosed with coeliac disease.
Team GB legend Rebecca Adlington has opened up about her recent coeliac disease diagnosis in a heartfelt video on Coeliac UK’s Instagram page, where she encouraged her followers to back the campaign for gluten-free prescriptions.
The condition, which is an autoimmune disorder, triggers the immune system to attack one’s own tissues upon consuming gluten. This leads to damage in the small intestine and can cause a range of symptoms such as stomach pains, bloating, indigestion, constipation, fatigue, and diarrhoea.
For those affected by coeliac disease, steering clear of gluten is essential, and access to gluten-free prescriptions is described as “vital” for managing the illness effectively.
Adlington made a direct appeal to her audience, stating: “Hello everyone. As someone newly diagnosed with coeliac disease, I have definitely quickly learnt how vital gluten-free prescriptions are for managing this condition.”
She continued, highlighting the threat to these prescriptions: “But in some areas, these prescriptions are totally being cut. Coeliac UK is handing a petition to Number 10 to make sure we’re heard, so please sign and share the petition today.”
The call to action had a significant impact, with the petition garnering an impressive 22,826 signatures before being presented at Downing Street earlier this month.
