Rebecca Adlington has revealed she ‘fell out of love’ with her body as she struggled to cope with the ‘heartbreak’ of two miscarriages. 

The former Olympic swimmer, 35, lost a child at 12 weeks in August 2022. A year later, she miscarried daughter, Harper, at 20 weeks and had to undergo an induced labour and stillbirth. 

Now Rebecca has admitted she fell into a ‘rut’ during the ‘dark’ period as she took a step back from fitness. 

The athlete told OK! Magazine: ‘I went through a period about two years of not going to the gym at all. I’d had my miscarriage and I went through this phase where I fell out of love with my body, I was just like “Ugh”.’

She credited going to counselling with husband Andy Parsons with helping her heal and revealed she now attends gym classes and Pilates to keep fit and healthy as well as going swimming to help with her mental health.

Rebecca Adlington has revealed she ‘fell out of love’ with her body as she struggled to cope with the ‘heartbreak’ of two miscarriages  

Rebecca, who shares daughter Summer, nine, with ex-husband Harry Needs and three-year-old son Albie with her husband Any Parsons, said: ‘I swim on a Sunday but I don’t really count that as exercise. I feel like Sunday’s swim is more for my mental health than anything else. 

‘I don’t have my phone attached to me, I don’t go fast or anything like that. I literally use it as a time to let my mind wander and switch off, nobody is saying “Mummy” or calling me or asking me to do anything.’ 

Rebecca went on to credit couples therapy for helping them accept the devastating tragedy and work through the ‘dark cloud’ of their grief after attending for several months. 

In September, the athlete shared some of the touching ways her family has paid tribute to Harper. 

‘We’ve got a cherry blossom tree, we’ve got her little handprints on the wall in the living room with the family, Albie and Summer they always go “Harper’s my sister,”‘ she said on Loose Women.

‘Even on holiday last week there was a little chapel where we were in Greece and they lit a candle for Harper.

‘She’s part of our family, she will always be part of our family, and we’re able to discuss her now in a way that we’re not in floods of tears.’

Rebecca also revealed she didn’t suffer any symptoms or notice any signs of her miscarriage until she was told in her 20-week scan.

The former Olympic swimmer, 35, shares daughter Summer, nine, with ex Harry Needs and son Albie, three, with husband Any Parsons (pictured) but also suffered two devastating losses 

She told the panellists: ‘There were absolutely no symptoms I had no signs of it, we only found out by going to the 20-week scan.’

She then revealed that she received no explanation at all as to why she suffered a miscarriage.

She said: ‘It was something that was totally unknown, we had all the post mortem, all the tests that I had done after.

‘They still can’t tell us why it happened.’

Andy and Rebecca tied the knot in August 2021 with a Cheshire ceremony, five months after welcoming their son Albie.

The pair met on dating app Bumble in 2018, with the swimmer gushing after their wedding: ‘It worked out perfectly for us. We couldn’t be happier.’

The couple started dating two years after she split from her ex-husband Harry, and she previously admitted she was nervous about finding love again.

They quickly fell in love and facilities manager Andy moved from Liverpool to live with Rebecca in Manchester in 2019.

If you have been affected by this story, you can seek advice at www.miscarriageᴀssociation.org.uk or by calling 01924 200 799 

The mother-of-two now does gym classes and Pilates to keep fit and healthy and noted that she still regularly swims which helps with her mental health (pictured after winning Bronze during the London 2012 Olympics)