Olympic cyclist Laura Kenny breastfed her baby daughter Lily after completing the London Marathon on Sunday. The 34-year-old ran the 26.2 mile race to raise funds for The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, a cause she described as “so close to our hearts”.
Kenny, who is married to fellow cycling star Jason Kenny, suffered a miscarriage in November 2021 and an ectopic pregnancy five months later. An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilised egg grows outside the womb, usually in a fallopian tube, and requires emergency surgery.
Sharing a photo of herself nursing Lily after the event on Instagram, she wrote: “LONDON MARATHON - completed it. Not even going to pretend I enjoyed it because I absolutely did not!” She added: “Got round in 3.45 after a typical Laura pacing job 😂 But I ran for a cause SO close to our hearts. The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust and I will continue to shout about them and share our story because we can now help other people.”
Kenny spoke about the “never-ending grief” she felt after her ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage. “In the weeks and months after the ectopic pregnancy, I stopped talking. I don't throw around the word depression a lot, but it was absolutely the lowest I've ever felt in my life,” she told Stylist. She said her relationship with Jason was at its weakest, but a difficult conversation helped them cope. “We agreed to plant a tree, a rosebush with a little angel plaque on it, next to Albie's playroom to try to draw a line under this never-ending grief,” she added.
Kenny has three children with Jason: Albie, eight, Monty, four, and Lily, 12 months. Fellow celebrities including Zoe Ball and Jessica Ennis-Hill praised her efforts on social media.
