Cycling icon Laura Kenny has revealed she had a miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy in the last five months.
Kenny, who is Great Britain’s most successful female Olympic athlete in history, announced she was pregnant after last summer’s Tokyo Games. However, the 29-year-old tragically miscarried after nine weeks.
The five-time Olympic cycling champion caught Covid in January and continued feeling unwell afterwards. She was then hurried into surgery after discovering she had an ectopic pregnancy.
“Scared doesn't even come close,” Kenny said. “I lost a fallopian tube that day. I’ve always known I was tough, but sometimes life pushes you to an unbearable limit.”
Kenny and husband Jason have a son, Albie, who was born in 2017, and she credits her family with supporting her through the difficult period. An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilised egg implants itself outside the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes.
“Since the Olympics we haven't had much luck and it's been the hardest few months I've ever had to go through,” she said. “Jason and I fell pregnant immediately after the Games and we were absolutely chuffed to bits.
“But unfortunately in November when commentating at the Track Champions League I miscarried our baby at nine weeks. I've never felt so lost and sad. It felt like a part of me had been torn away.
“I grabbed for my safety blanket, bike riding! I found myself back in my happy place training again. I then caught Covid in mid-January and found myself feeling really very unwell. I didn't have typical Covid symptoms and I just felt I needed to go to hospital.
“A day later I found myself in A&E being rushed to theatre because I was having an ectopic pregnancy. If it wasn't for Jason and Albie getting me through the day-to-day I'd have been broken.”
Kenny won silver in the team pursuit as she returned to racing at the UCI Track Nations Cup in Glasgow on Thursday. Her revelation comes after England netball player Chelsea Pitman said last year it was time to ‘start a conversation’ about miscarriage.
Pitman has miscarried twice and had an ectopic pregnancy in the last two years. Former Roses head coach Tracey Neville also had a miscarriage a day after leading England to Commonwealth gold in 2018.
