Rebecca Adlington has opened up about her devastating miscarriage on Loose Women and admitted she couldn't stop blaming herself for the tragedy but is glad she spoke openly about her grief.
During Tuesday's instalment of the ITV programme, the Olympian swimmer, 35, appeared as a guest on the panel alongside host Charlene White, Janet Street-Porter, Brenda Edwards, and Katie Piper.
The Olympic medalist, who has been publicly open about her miscarriage in October 2023, revealed to the panellists that she is 'pleased' she was honest and open with the public as she believes speaking about it helped many women.
She revealed: 'I think with my latest miscarriage with Harper last year, I was 20 weeks pregnant, I couldn't just go from having this big bump, and I'd revealed my pregnancy to almost "oh where's the baby and why hasn't she got a bump anymore"'
She added: 'It would've caused too much speculation and too many questions.'
Rebecca Adlington has opened up about her devastating miscarriage on Loose Women and admitted she couldn't stop blaming herself for the tragedy
During Tuesday's instalment of the ITV programme, the Olympian swimmer appeared as a guest alongside host Charlene White , Janet Street-Porter , Brenda Edwards , and Katie Piper
'So I kind of was forced to, I've learnt my lesson, but it was one of those, I didn't have a choice but to kind of announce it.'
She admitted: 'And actually I'm really pleased I did, because I think it's helped a lot of women.'
While discussing how Rebecca keeps Harper a part of their family home, the athlete revealed to Katie, 40, that she planted a cherry tree at the bottom of her garden.
She said: '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 added: '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.'
Janet, 77, then asked Rebecca if her husband agreed with her talking about her miscarriages so publicly to which she revealed he was fully supportive.
She told Janet: 'He did, I think we were lucky enough to have counselling together through petals and I think having it together is really important.'
The Olympic medalist revealed to the panellists that she is 'pleased' she was honest and open with the public as she believes speaking about it helped many women
'Because he was getting a lot of questions (like) "How's Becky" and that was his child as well.'
Rebecca also revealed that she didn't suffer any symptoms or notice any signs of her miscarriage until she was told in her 20-week scan.
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, and they still can't tell us why it happened.'
During the show, Brenda, 55, also asked Rebecca to elaborate on why she previously blamed herself to which she claimed that she 'couldn't help but feel like I had done something'.
She revealed: 'I think you naturally blame yourself. Once that child is born you have 50/50 responsibility of your children don't you as parents,'
'Whereas for nine months that responsibility is yours as a woman, it's your job to keep that child safe and my body couldn't do that, I couldn't do that for whatever reason.'
'So I think it's only natural, and I just couldn't help but feel like I had done something, even though I know I didn't because there was no reason for it.'
While discussing how Rebecca keeps Harper a part of their family home, the athlete revealed that she planted a cherry tree at the bottom of her garden
Rebecca has said she'll 'never get over her miscarriage' as she discussed the 'tough' year her family have had
Her appearance on Loose Women comes after she broke down in tears as she spoke out about the devastating toll having two miscarriages had on her mental health.
The Olympian swimmer lost her daughter Harper in a devastating late miscarriage in October 2023 - after she lost another child at 12 weeks in 2022.
Rebecca shares son Albie, three, with husband Andy Parsons as well as daughter Summer, eight, from her previous marriage to swimmer Harry Needs.
The athlete spoke openly about her shock of having two miscarriages after having two low-risk pregnancies.
After Albie's birth, Rebecca fell pregnant around a year later and found out at her 12-week scan she had suffered a miscarriage.
Speaking to Giovanna Fletcher on the latest episode of the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, Rebecca said: 'It didn't enter the realm of possibility I had a miscarriage because I had super low risks pregnancies as well. I didn't have any symptoms, I felt exactly the same as the other pregnancies.'
'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,' she told the panellists
Rebecca with husband Andy Parsons, their son Albie and daughter Summer from her previous marriage to fellow swimmer Harry Needs
Rebecca had to go back the next day for emergency surgery. When she returned home she developed sepsis.
'I fainted on the bathroom floor. I couldn't stand. I know my body. I can't even open my eyes or function. I went into hospital and got told I had sepsis.'
'It was just horrific. It was the worst 10 days of my life.'
Rebecca fell pregnant again with their daughter Harper in 2023 and all seemed well at the 12-week scan.
'We had a private scan at 15 weeks and thought we could announce our pregnancy. Summer was so excited. She would kiss my tummy. We had a midwife appointment at 17 weeks and the heartbeat was all fine.'
'At 18 weeks we booked in a scan and found it was a girl.'
Rebecca said on the day of their 20-week scan she had a 'horrible' feeling she couldn't explain.
She said: 'It was that horrid moment when I was in a scan and I could see Andy's face looking concerned. We just held each other's hands and were deadly silent. They said: "I'm really sorry there's no heartbeat".'
Rebecca was told she would have to have a tablet to induce labour and give birth.
Last year Rebecca went in to hospital for her 12-week-scan and later had to go down for the emergency surgery after discovering she had miscarried the child
Andy and Rebecca exchanged vows during a Cheshire ceremony, five months after welcoming their son (pictured showing off their wedding rings)
Through tears, the Olympian told Giovanna: 'To have to give birth. I thought that was so cruel. It was a horrible three days. I felt like I was trapped in a nightmare. It was just horrid.'
'We did hold her. We had quite a bit of time with her. It was just like she was asleep. It was the most painful, horrible thing to ever happen but it was done in the most sensitive way.'
'When I returned home, I felt lost. How do I tell Summer? I found that really difficult. She was heartbroken. It was devastating for her and Albie goes: "Mummy, is there no baby in my stomach now?".'
Rebecca admitted she began blaming herself. She said: 'I hated my body because it couldn't protect my children. And I just mentally struggled because I hated myself. I just, I felt like I was responsible.
'There was there was nothing that they could see as to why she had passed... it was just one of those that I was like, I hate my body because it can't keep her alive.'
Athlete: Rebecca won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympics and two bronze medals at London 2012
Andy and Rebecca tied the knot back in August with a Cheshire ceremony, five months after welcoming their son.
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 the swimmer split from her ex-husband Harry, and she previously admitted she was nervous about finding love again.
The couple quickly fell in love and facilities manager Andy moved from Liverpool to live with Rebecca in Manchester in 2019.
Rebecca, who won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympics and two bronze medals at London 2012, was previously married to Summer's father Harry - with the pair splitting in 2016.
As a result of Rebecca's two gold medal win at the 2008 Summer Olympics, she became Britain's first Olympic swimming champion since 1988. In 2013, aged 23, she retired from all competitive swimming.
