Who is Rebecca Adlington’s husband Andy Parsons? Meet the spouse of the Olympic swimmer who met the gold medalist on a dating app

Rebecca Adlington has announced the loss of her daughter Harper in a devastating late miscarriage – after she lost another child at 12 weeks last year.

The former competitive swimmer, 34, already shares son Albie, two, with husband Andy Parsons as well as daughter Summer, eight, from her previous marriage to swimmer Harry Needs.

Rebecca and Andy met on dating app Bumble in 2018, two years after the swimmer split from her ex husband Harry.

Andy works as a facilities manager, previously working as a sales assistant at Disneyland Paris and a project manager at a property management company.

The couple quickly fell in love and Andy moved from Liverpool to live with Becky in Manchester in 2019.

Upsetting news: Rebecca Adlington has announced the loss of her daughter Harper in a devastating late miscarriage (pictured during her pregnancy)

Tragic: The former competitive swimmer, 34, already shares son Albie, two, with husband Andy Parsons (pictured) as well as daughter Summer, eight, from her previous marriage to swimmer Harry Needs

Loved-up: Rebecca and Andy met on dating app Bumble in 2018, two years after the swimmer split from her ex husband Harry

During the coronavirus pandemic they temporarily isolated with Rebecca’s ex-husband Harry and Harry’s friend Michael Gunning to be closer to Summer.

Despite the unusual living arrangement, sources told The Sun that the group got on well together.

They said: ‘Their arrangement is very amicable and they’re doing what’s best for Summer.

‘They still get on really well despite their split, so why not? And Harry’s friend Michael is close with the others too.

‘They’re all really enjoying each other’s company and, what with their shared interest in swimming, it was a no-brainer.’

Harry shared a glimpse of the domestic set-up in a selfie with Rebecca, their daughter, Andrew and Michael in June 2020.

He wrote: ‘Couldn’t wish to be stuck at home with a better bunch of people, so glad my bestie had a birthday to remember.’

Rebecca and Andy then went on to welcome their own child in March 2021, son Albie Bennett Parsons.

Employment: Andy works as a facilities manager, previously working as a sales assistant at Disneyland Paris and a project manager at a property management company

Smitten: The couple quickly fell in love and Andy moved from Liverpool to live with Becky in Manchester in 2019

A-team: During the coronavirus pandemic they temporarily isolated with Rebecca’s ex-husband Harry (left) and Harry’s friend Michael Gunning (second left) to be closer to Summer

Five months later, they tied the knot with an intimate ceremony in Cheshire in August with 80 guests, including fellow swimmers.

Rebecca revealed she surprised Andy by playing Tom Odell’s Grow Old With Me as she walked down the aisle, bringing him to tears.

Speaking to Hello! magazine, she said: ‘We chose all the other music together, but I wanted one little thing that was a surprise for him. He kept trying to get it out of me, but I wouldn’t break.’

Andy admitted: ‘The second it kicked in, I thought, “Oh, you’ve really pushed me to the limit with this” and I felt my composure start to go.

‘Then I saw Summer coming down the aisle with Jo and then Albie being carried by Tom and that really got me.

‘So when Becky started walking toward me with her dad, I just lost it. She had the most beautiful smile on her face. She looked incredible.’

After their wedding, Rebecca gushed: ‘It worked out perfectly for us. We couldn’t be happier’.

The couple then fell pregnant again last year, but tragically suffered a miscarriage.

Baby joy: Rebecca and Andy then went on to welcome their own child in March 2021, son Albie Bennett Parsons

Married: Five months later, they tied the knot with an intimate ceremony in Cheshire in August with 80 guests, including fellow swimmers

Besotted: After their wedding, Rebecca gushed: ‘It worked out perfectly for us. We couldn’t be happier’

Rebecca went in to hospital for her 12-week-scan and later had to go down for the emergency surgery after discovering she had miscarried the child.

After being sent home following the surgery, Rebecca had to be readmitted to treat sepsis, a kidney infection and a fever.

She said she felt ‘responsible’and revealed how the heartbreak made her reluctant to try again for a third child.

In an interview with The Mirror, Rebecca said: ‘Because I’d had two children without any problems, a miscarriage never crossed my mind.

‘I realise this might sound naïve, but I expected some signs. I felt really responsible for the miscarriage, even though it wasn’t my fault.

‘I remember speaking to the doctors and they said there was nothing I could have done to prevent what happened.’

‘But you’ve got all this pressure to protect something – this delicate being, this precious, special, incredible baby – for nine months, and it just seemed crazy because I’ve done it twice before and been absolutely fine.’

Last month, Andy and Rebecca joyfully revealed they were expecting another child together.

Horrible: The couple then fell pregnant again last year, but when Rebecca went in to hospital for her 12-week-scan she discovered she had miscarried the child and later had to go down for the emergency surgery

Announcement: Last month, Andy and Rebecca joyfully revealed they were expecting another child together with an adorable snap with Andy and children Summer and Albie on holiday at Disneyland Paris

Devastating: But tragedy struck again and Rebecca took to Instagram on Sunday night to share the heartbreaking news that they had lost their daughter

Rebecca shared an adorable snap with Andy and children Summer and Albie on holiday at Disneyland Paris.

The family posed in front of the iconic pink castle with their hands on Rebecca’s blossoming baby bump.

Captioning the sweet shot, she wrote: ‘Our own bit of magic. Baby number 3 on the way’.

But tragedy struck again and Rebecca took to Instagram on Sunday night to share the heartbreaking news that they had lost their daughter.

She penned: ‘I don’t really have the words right now but unfortunately we went for our 20 week scan this week and they found no heartbeat.

‘I gave birth to our angel, Harper on Friday at 7pm. We held her, and had time with her. We will forever love her and remember her always.’

Her post was flooded with kind support from her friends and followers who offered messages of support.

The NHS states: ‘A stillbirth is when a baby is born dead after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy. If the baby dies before 24 completed weeks, it’s known as a miscarriage or late foetal loss.’

If you have been affected by this story, you can seek advice at www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk or www.tommys.org or by calling 01924 200 799

What causes a miscarriage?

It is highly unlikely that you will ever know the actual cause of a one-off miscarriage, but most are due to the following problems:

• ABNORMAL FETUS

The most common cause of miscarriages in the first couple of months is a one-off abnormal development in the fetus, often due to chromosome anomalies. ‘It’s not as though the baby is fine one minute and suddenly dies the next,’ says Professor James Walker, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Leeds.

‘These pregnancies fail from the outset and were never destined to succeed.’ Most miscarriages like this happen by eight weeks, although bleeding may not start until three or four weeks later, which is worth remembering in subsequent pregnancies. ‘If a scan at eight weeks shows a healthy heart beat, you have a 95 per cent chance of a successful pregnancy,’ says Professor Walker.

• HORMONAL FACTORS

A hormonal blip could cause a sporadic miscarriage and never be a problem again. However, a small number of women who have long cycles and irregular periods may suffer recurrent miscarriages because the lining of the uterus is too thin, making implantation difficult.

Unfortunately, hormone treatment is not terribly successful.

‘There used to be a trend for progesterone treatment, but trials show this really doesn’t work,’ warns Professor Walker. ‘There is some evidence that injections of HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin, a hormone released in early pregnancy) can help, but it’s not the answer for everyone.’ The treatment must be started as soon as the pregnancy is confirmed, at around four or five weeks.

• AGE

For women over 40, one in four women who become pregnant will miscarry. [One in four women of all ages miscarry, but these figures include women who don’t know that they are pregnant. Of women who do know that they’re pregnant, the figure is one in six. Once you’re over 40, and know that you’re pregnant, the figure rises to one in four]

• AUTO-IMMUNE BLOOD DISORDERS

Around 20 per cent of recurrent miscarriers suffer from lupus or a similar auto-immune disorder that causes blood clots to form in the developing placenta.

A simple blood test, which may need to be repeated several times, can reveal whether or not this is the problem.’One negative test does not mean that a women is okay,’ warns Mr Roy Farquharson, consultant gynaecologist who runs an early pregnancy unit at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

Often pregnancy can be a trigger for these disorders, so a test should be done as soon as possible,’ he adds.But it can easily be treated with low dose aspirin or heparin injections, which help to thin the blood and prevent blood clots forming – a recent trial also showed that women do equally well on either. ”We have a 70 per cent live birth rate in women treated for these disorders,’ says Dr Farquharson, ‘which is excellent.’

• OTHER CAUSES

While uterine abnormalities, such as fibroids, can cause a miscarriage, many women have no problems carrying a pregnancy to term. An incompetent cervix can also cause miscarriage at around 20 weeks.

While this can be treated by a special stitch in the cervix, trials suggest it is not particularly successful, although it may delay labour by a few weeks.Gene and chromosomal abnormalities, which can be detected by blood tests, may also cause recurrent miscarriages in a small number of couples.

A procedure known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis can help. After in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), a single cell is taken from the developing embryo and tested for the gene defect. Only healthy embryos are then replaced in the womb.

It is an expensive and stressful procedure – and pregnancy rates tend to be quite low – but for some this is preferable to repeated miscarriages or a genetically abnormal baby.

Content source – www.soundhealthandlastingwealth.com

What causes a miscarriage?

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