Rebecca Adlington admits she is struggling with emotionally hard pregnancy two years after losing her daughter

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Rebecca Adlington has shared that she’s finding her third pregnancy emotionally challenging as she prepares to welcome her new baby.

The 36-year-old Olympic athlete shared in September that she is expecting a baby, calling it ‘a small miracle’ after experiencing two heartbreaking miscarriages over the past three years.

She and her husband, Andy Parsons, already have a two-year-old son named Albie. She also has an eight-year-old daughter, Summer, from a previous relationship with Harry Needs.

Rebecca has revealed that this pregnancy is very different from her previous ones, and she’s feeling more anxious about it.

I was so touched to see her recent post – a beautiful sunny picture of her with her baby bump! She shared that she’s been going to counselling to help her process everything she’s feeling, and honestly, I think it’s amazing that she’s being so open about prioritizing her emotional wellbeing. It’s really inspiring to see.

Oh my gosh, she finally talked about it! She said this pregnancy feels totally different from the others. She’s not sharing a ton – no cute photos, no big gender reveal, not even a baby shower! And it’s not because she’s not thrilled, absolutely not! She explained it’s because she’s scared. She said if you’ve ever been through a rainbow pregnancy, you’d just get it. It’s like she understands what it’s like to be so hopeful but also terrified of losing everything again. It just breaks my heart for her, but I’m so glad she’s finally letting us in on what she’s feeling.

This pregnancy has been the most challenging for my mental and emotional wellbeing. After talking with the wonderful people at @petalscharity, I wanted to share some things that have helped me, hoping they might help others going through something similar.

Rebecca shared that she’s feeling stressed and worried, but she’s been helped by focusing on the ways her current pregnancy is different from her previous miscarriages.

She explained that she’s been working on avoiding comparisons, especially after experiencing loss. It’s natural to compare after a miscarriage, but she was advised to concentrate on how this pregnancy is different, rather than focusing on what’s the same.

We’ve started calling our baby ‘Jellytot,’ and it’s been wonderful. It’s helped us avoid comparing them to other babies and has brought our family even closer to our little one.

It was difficult for me to acknowledge I was having a hard time, but I’ve realized it’s okay to not be okay. Feeling anxious or struggling doesn’t diminish my gratitude for being pregnant; it simply means I’m human.

The BBC sports presenter said she felt both relieved and very happy when she initially announced the good news on Instagram back in September.

Olympic swimmer Rebecca shared a heartwarming black and white photo of her baby’s ultrasound, calling it a ‘little miracle’.

She announced with the news: ‘We’re thrilled to be expecting a baby! The past nineteen months of trying have been a challenging journey, both emotionally and physically, but this pregnancy feels like a wonderful blessing.’

We hesitated about sharing this, but we believe in being open and honest about what we’re going through. We also want to acknowledge the difficulties others face, both now and in the past.

We’re taking things one day at a time and are so thankful for the wonderful care we’re getting from the NHS Rainbow Team. They’re providing amazing support, and we feel incredibly looked after.

We’re thrilled with this news, but also mindful that many are still facing difficult times. We’re sending our love and support to everyone who is hurting, and we know a lot of people are still hoping for good news of their own.

Rebecca recently shared a painful experience: discovering she’d had a second miscarriage after leaving the hospital. She admitted the loss made her feel deeply negative about her own body.

TV personality and her husband, Andy, opened up to This Morning’s Emma Willis and Craig Doyle about experiencing two heartbreaking miscarriages, hoping to support others going through the same thing and increase awareness.

In 2022, Rebecca experienced a miscarriage at 12 weeks and was diagnosed with a molar pregnancy, which required immediate surgery.

A molar pregnancy happens when unusual tissue develops in the uterus instead of a normal baby.

The next year brought more heartbreak when she learned she’d miscarried again during her 20-week scan. She then had to deliver her baby, a daughter they named Harper. She shared that it was very difficult afterward, as her body still appeared to be pregnant.

Rebecca shared her painful experience on ITV, explaining that she felt furious with her body for not alerting her when something was wrong. She wished it had given her a warning sign, like a signal that things were going badly and she needed help.

I didn’t receive any information, and I wasn’t experiencing any symptoms. It was difficult to cope with, and even after, I still appeared to be pregnant.

It’s incredibly difficult to cope with the experience of giving birth and then learning the baby didn’t survive. Adding to the pain is the physical reality of still appearing pregnant for weeks afterward, a constant reminder of what should have been.

It was a really difficult time. I struggled with my body image, and despite it giving me two healthy children and helping me win four Olympic gold medals, I felt disappointed and couldn’t understand why it wasn’t working for me now.

‘And the second time as well. It’s hard the second time around.’

If you need support, you can reach out to the Miscarriage Association at miscarriageassociation.org.uk or Sands at sands.org.uk.

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2025-12-28 13:19