Rebecca Adlington’s husband Andy Parsons has spoken about the devastating effect the loss of their unborn babies had on him when his wife suffered two miscarriages.
The couple, who had their second miscarriage at 20 weeks in 2023 and named their daughter Harper, also lost a baby at 12 weeks the year before.
Andy, 35, has now opened up for the first time about the impact of the loss, as he revealed to Sunday Times: ‘I told myself I was OK but inside I was really struggling.’
Andy and Rebecca found out that Harper no longer had a heartbeat during a heartbreaking ultrasound scan appointment and she had to undergo an induced labour and stillbirth.
Reflecting on the discovery, Andy said: ‘Instantly you just sink. I was so gutted but I wasn’t bothered about my feelings. As a guy, you’ve got the easy job: the stress is all on the woman. So I was instantly into protection mode, comfort mode, just being there straight away for Becky.’
The couple share four-year-old son Albie and Andy is step-father to Rebecca’s daughter Summer, 10, from a previous marriage.
Rebecca Adlington’s husband Andy Parsons has spoken about the devastating effect the loss of their unborn babies had on him when his wife suffered two miscarriages
The couple, who had their second miscarriage at 20 weeks in 2023 and named their daughter Harper, also lost a baby at 12 weeks the year before
While he immediately sprung into action to support his family, Andy admitted that internally he was deeply struggling with the loss of Harper.
He said: ‘I told myself I was OK but inside I was really struggling. This is the first time he has spoken publicly about his experience. I would just sit there on the train every morning, crying the whole way. I think we often don’t know how to react and so we go into our shells.’
Since the miscarriages, Andy and Rebecca have sought counselling to deal with their emotional scars and helped them think about the way they include Harper in the home.
Prior to discussing their late daughter in counselling, Andy said that he was physically unable to talk about their miscarriages.
Chief executive from the Miscarriage Association, Vicki Robinson, said: ‘I think a lack of understanding about the emotional impact on both parents, combined with a sense in men that they have to stay strong for their partner, can leave them feeling like they aren’t entitled to grieve,’ says Vicki Robinson, the charity’s chief executive.’
Rebecca has previously credited couples therapy for helping them accept the devastating tragedy and work through the ‘dark cloud’ of their grief after attending for several months.
In September, the athlete shared some of the touching ways her family has paid tribute to Harper.
‘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 said on Loose Women.
The couple share four-year-old son Albie and Andy is step-father to Rebecca’s daughter Summer, 10, from a previous marriage
‘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.’
Rebecca also revealed how 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.
‘They still can’t tell us why it happened.’
Andy and Rebecca tied the knot in August 2021 with a Cheshire ceremony, five months after welcoming their son Albie.
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 she split from her ex-husband Harry, and she previously admitted she was nervous about finding love again.
They quickly fell in love and facilities manager Andy moved from Liverpool to live with Rebecca in Manchester in 2019.
