Double Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington has spoken of her devastation after a miscarriage, discovered during a hospital visit for her 12-week scan. The swimmer told her Instagram followers she needed emergency surgery afterwards, and treatment for sepsis.
"It's such a devastating time but important in times like these we remember we aren't alone and have so much support," she wrote. Adlington, a 33-year-old mother-of-two, said she was now "slowly on the mend".
Adlington said she and her husband, Andy Parsons, went to hospital for a scan on Tuesday, only to discover she had miscarried and needed emergency surgery. "I managed to leave hospital Thursday only to be readmitted Friday. After a day of treating sepsis, a kidney infection and a fever, I'm slowly on the mend," she wrote.
She praised hospital staff and described her husband as her rock, and also thanked her family and friends. "We haven't managed to process it all yet but I know with their support we'll get through it," she said.
There are about 250,000 miscarriages in the UK each year, according to research by pregnancy charity Tommy's. A number of high-profile women have spoken about their own experiences in recent years, including Britney Spears and the Duchess of Sussex.
