Rebecca Adlington reveals she and husband had couples counselling for heartbreaking reason

There’s no question that Rebecca Adlington is one tough cookie, whether she was in the pool winning gold at the Olympics or bravely opening up about her heartbreaking miscarriages. And, as we sit down for a chat with the former competitive swimmer, she greets us with a bubbly warmth while chatting about family life. Clearly a doting mum, Rebecca shares daughter Summer with her ex-husband Harry Needs and son Albie with her husband Andy Parsons.

“The kids are super cute, they’re at great ages. Albie is three and Summer’s nine, so they’re just so amazing. We’ve just had Christmas and all that which they loved, so it’s been a really magical time for them,” says Rebecca. Meeting via a dating app back in 2018, Rebecca, 35, admits she and Andy haven’t had the most conventional route to love, but she wouldn’t change a thing.

“Andy met me when I already had Summer, so we’ve never really had that kid-free time together that other couples have. Our relationship never had the stage where you meet and then have kids, so it’s different,” says Rebecca, who retired from swimming in 2013 after winning double gold at the Beijing Olympics five years earlier. “But I wouldn’t change it for the world. I knew straight away what a fantastic daddy he would be because he’s an incredible
stepdad. We love family life.”

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Things haven’t been smooth sailing for the family over the past few years, with Rebecca suffering two miscarriages. She lost a child at 12 weeks, in August 2022. Just a year later, Rebecca miscarried her daughter, Harper, at 20 weeks, and had to undergo an induced labour and stillbirth.

Rebecca has since spoken openly about it and the impact it had on her family, admitting it was a “dark” time for her and Andy. However, she tells us they have now arrived at a place of acceptance, and she’s keen to help others do the same.

“[Miscarriage] is a hard topic to talk about and to listen to. It’s not spoken about as much because people find it uncomfortable. When I mention miscarriage, they don’t know how to respond or they think I’m going to break down in a flood of tears. Of course, it’s incredibly devastating and heartbreaking, but I got to a point when I’d spoken about it so much. Now, I can talk about Harper without being in floods of tears,” explains Rebecca, who is
an ambassador for baby loss charity Petals.

Ensuring she keeps her daughter’s memory alive, the former sportswoman continues, “We’ve found a way to include her in our family, and the kids even say, ‘My sister Harper.’ We found a place that is just really beautiful. Obviously,
we wish it wasn’t that way, but I want to help people – even just one — feel the same way we can, which is coming to terms with it. So many people have still got so much trauma around it because it’s so devastating.

“The more you talk about it, the more you can find that place, and accept that that child is part of your family and you can move forward. We will never forget it and it will never ever go, but it’s just accepting and finding that place, which I think is really important.”

Rebecca credits therapy for her ability to accept the tragedy, and says she and Andy worked with a counsellor to get to a more positive mindset. “I’ve had therapy before, so I knew a lot more about it, but Andy didn’t know what to expect and wasn’t sure. I think the fact that Petals offers counselling together, he was like, ‘Oh, OK, let’s do it together.’ I don’t think he would have gone if it was just him by himself. Doing something together was really, really beneficial and vital for us. We did it for three or four months and it helped us get out from under that really dark cloud. We both reacted and coped very differently so it helped us to understand what the other was going through.”

The Olympian didn’t just go through a tough time mentally, but admits she took a step back from health and fitness, finding herself in a “rut”. “I went through a period of about two years of not going to the gym at all,” begins Rebecca. “I’d had my miscarriages and I went through this phase where I fell out of love with my body — I was just like, ‘Ugh.’ We had moved house too, so you don’t know where to go when you’re in a new area.”

Now, the athlete has got back into a routine and does a mix of Pilates and gym classes during the week alongside a weekly swim. “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.”

With Rebecca focusing on her own health and fitness while juggling parenthood and work, she admits it’s not easy balancing it all. Keen to ensure no one gets sidetracked from the busy family schedule, Rebecca says she’s trying to avoid any winter flu coming into her home. She has partnered with Sambucol on its Viral Spiral campaign to help prevent the spiral of bugs at this time of year.

“When you’re in a household of multiple people, especially kids, so many germs are brought home. And my husband actually works in a school as well, so that’s never good because we just end up bringing everything in,” says Rebecca. “So, as a parent, I’m really keen on making sure that we’re all covered and not bringing each other down. We’re just making sure that we try to stay as healthy as possible from that aspect, otherwise, you all get shot down as a family and then you can never recover.”

She continues, “I’ve actually taken Sambucol for years anyway. I get a bit daunted by ingredients because, while I know a bit about nutrition from being a swimmer, I’m not an expert and I get overwhelmed sometimes when there’s a million ingredients in things. I’m conscious of the kids getting everything they need in their diet, so, taking an immune supplement and something like Sambucol, which have really natural ingredients, does make a difference.”