My husband loved the Olympic golden girl, not the real me
Rebecca on her brief marriage
OLYMPIC swimming champ Rebecca Adlington has opened her heart about her failed marriage to a man who “idolised” her status.
TV pundit Rebecca, 28, wed longterm boyfriend Harry Needs, 25, in 2014 but 18 months later they separated.
Now the swimmer, who won two golds at Beijing in 2008, is questioning his motives for marriage.
She said: “He was younger than me, he saw Beijing and really idolised me.
“Harry had to step back and say, ‘I have to figure out whether I like you or whether I like you because of everything you’ve achieved’.”
When they split in March last year the couple, who have a two-year-old daughter, insisted they “remained close friends”. Rebecca said giving birth was harder than setting a world record and that motherhood had put a lot of strain on the marriage.
At the time she said: “Being a parent is bloody hard work. Harry and I have had plenty of arguments. We’re knackered.”
Rebecca, who will appear in a new radio series of On The Sporting Couch, told the Radio Times she struggles when people comment on celebrity divorces. She said: “Your heart is broken any way. It baffles me that someone thinks they can comment on someone’s life they know nothing about.”
Rebecca is using a personal trainer to get back in shape but said: “Things like bigger hips, a flabbier tummy and more stretch marks are seen as negative, but I’m proud of my stretch marks as it means I’ve had a full, healthy pregnancy.
“I’ve accepted my body changes and hopefully my daughter sees her mother being a happy, healthy role model.”
Being a parent is hard. We argued a lot and were knackered REBECCA ADLINGTON ON HER MARRIAGE