Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington says her ‘family is complete’ after giving birth
Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington has announced the birth of her baby girl, Thea Joy Parsons. The two-time gold medallist shared a photograph of the newborn on Instagram, alongside the caption: “Thea Joy Parsons. Our family is complete.”
She also added a rainbow emoji, indicating a baby born after a previous loss. This follows a challenging period for the retired athlete, who experienced a miscarriage in August 2022, requiring emergency surgery, and another in October 2023, when a 20-week scan revealed “no heartbeat”.
Adlington announced her pregnancy in September via social media, describing herself and husband Andy Parsons as “cautiously overjoyed”. Adlington has a son, Albie, with Parsons, whom she married in 2021, and a daughter, Summer, from her previous marriage to Harry Needs.
In a post in December, Adlington said this pregnancy had been “completely different”. “Not many photos, no gender reveal, no baby shower,” she added.
“This isn’t because I’m not excited, it’s because I’m fearful. Anyone who’s had a rainbow pregnancy will likely understand. It took me a long time to admit I’m struggling but learnt it’s ok to admit it’s hard. Being anxious and struggling doesn’t take away from how grateful I am to be pregnant, it just means I’m human.”
It comes after the swimmer revealed last year that she has been diagnosed with coeliac disease.
Coeliac disease is a condition where the immune system attacks a person’s tissues when they consume gluten – which is a protein naturally found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye– damaging the small intestine, so they are unable to absorb nutrients.
In March 2025, Adlington, shared a short clip on Coeliac UK’s Instagram account on Wednesday (26 March) where she shared details of the condition and highlighted a petition which is being handed to the government to raise awareness of the disease.
The swimmer and BBC Sports presenter said: “Hello everyone. As someone newly diagnosed with coeliac disease, I have definitely quickly learnt how vital gluten-free prescriptions are for managing this condition.
“But in some areas, these prescriptions are totally being cut. Coeliac UK is handing a petition to Number 10 to make sure we’re heard, so please sign and share the petition today.”
