Rebecca Adlington has shared that she struggled with severe anxiety during her pregnancy with her daughter.
The 37-year-old former Olympic swimmer welcomed her third child, Thea Joy, last month. This came after experiencing the pain of two miscarriages over the past three years, including one very late in the pregnancy at 20 weeks.
Rebecca and her husband, Andy Parsons, are already parents to two-year-old son Albie. She also has an eight-year-old daughter, Summer, with her former husband, Harry Needs.
Oh my gosh, I just read the most heartbreaking thing about Rebecca! Apparently, even before little Thea Joy was born, she was so incredibly anxious that she couldn’t even wrap her head around the fact she was actually pregnant. It’s just… she couldn’t make it feel real to her, which is so sad! I feel so bad for her, but I’m also fascinated by how honest she is about everything. It just makes me love her even more!
On Wednesday’s Netmums podcast, Rebecca revealed that she and her husband, Andy, found it difficult to talk about their new baby because they were worried about another miscarriage.
She shared that they hadn’t talked about baby names, worried that doing so might bring bad luck.
After experiencing two miscarriages – one of which was late in the pregnancy at 20 weeks – Rebecca said this pregnancy feels completely different, and she’s been feeling very anxious.
It was completely overwhelming. My husband even mentioned today that we really need to talk, and I asked him what about. He said, well, we’re going to have a baby in a few weeks and we haven’t discussed it at all. It’s crazy!
People keep asking if we’ve decided on a name, and honestly, we haven’t. Even though I’m 34 weeks pregnant – which is quite late – I’m still feeling anxious and a little scared.
Despite being visibly pregnant and knowing this is really happening, a part of us still worries something might go wrong – it almost feels unreal.
Rebecca explained that people are hesitant to get their hopes up, almost as if they fear believing too strongly will cause something to go wrong. They worry that if they fully accept the possibility of a child coming into their lives, it might be taken away from them.
We’ve reached a point where we understand that pregnancy comes with a lot of worry. Everyone – from midwives and counselors to other professionals – told us the same thing: you’ll feel anxious until the baby is actually born and you can hold them.
People are still having trouble accepting it, and it feels like we’re all being overly cautious and hesitant to fully believe it’s real.
Earlier this month, Rebecca shared that her grandmother passed away on the same day she and her husband, Andy, welcomed their daughter – a ‘rainbow baby’ born after a long wait.
The actress revealed she was hospitalized for three days during the birth of her daughter, calling the entire experience – from trying to conceive to welcoming her baby – a ‘rollercoaster.’
It’s been an incredibly emotional journey. After three years of trying, including two heartbreaking miscarriages, we finally welcomed our beautiful ‘rainbow baby’ after 39 weeks of pregnancy and a challenging 87-hour hospital stay.
Our daughter, Thea Joy Parsons, was born on February 28th – the same day my grandmother, Joyce, passed away. It felt like a beautiful, meaningful coincidence. We named her Joy in memory of Nana, and we already know she’ll bring happiness to our lives.
We’re overjoyed to have her home safe and sound. We know it’s hard waiting for good news, and we’re sending all our love and support to everyone who is still hoping for a positive outcome.
Rebecca announced on Instagram Sunday that she and Parsons have welcomed their daughter, Thea Joy, saying their family is now complete.
She shared the first picture of her baby daughter, peacefully sleeping in her hospital crib, along with a heartwarming photo of her family making heart shapes with their hands around the little one.
Rebecca recently shared a painful memory of her second miscarriage, explaining that it made her feel intense self-hatred and dislike for her own body after she returned home from the hospital.
Television personality and her husband, Andy, opened up to the hosts of This Morning, Emma Willis and Craig Doyle, about their heartbreaking experience with two miscarriages. They shared their story to increase understanding and offer support to others who have gone through the same thing.
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 another heartbreaking loss – a miscarriage discovered during a scan at 20 weeks. 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.
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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2026-03-11 22:38