Rebecca Adlington's husband Andy Parsons has opened up about his devastation after her two miscarriages.
The double Olympic gold medallist lost a baby at 12 weeks in 2022 and had her second miscarriage at 20 weeks a year later with their daughter Harper.
Parsons, 35, has talked about the impact of the loss for the first time, telling the Sunday Times: “I told myself I was OK but inside I was really struggling.”
He reflected on Adlington having to undergo an induced labour and stillbirth after they found out Harper no longer had a heartbeat.
“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,” he said.
“So I was instantly into protection mode, comfort mode, just being there straight away for Becky.”
Afterwards, Parsons said he would cry on the train every day and struggled to process his emotions.
“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,” he explained.
The couple share four-year-old son Albie. Parsons is step-father to Adlington’s daughter Summer, 10, from a previous marriage.
Parsons said he felt physically unable to discuss his grief until they began discussing the miscarriages during counselling.
Last year, Adlington revealed she “couldn’t help blaming herself” when Harper was stillborn.
She said Harper’s death was “hard for me to accept” but added that the post-mortem showed there “was no reason” for her death and she had “come to terms with that somehow”.
She retired from swimming in 2013 and regularly appears on BBC Sports as a commentator.
Earlier this year, Adlington revealed she has been been diagnosed with coeliac disease.
Coeliac disease - which affects about one in 100 people - is a common condition where the immune system attacks tissues when gluten found in wheat, barley and rye is eaten.
It causes a range of symptoms including diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and bloating.
“As someone newly diagnosed with coeliac disease, I have definitely quickly learnt how vital gluten-free prescriptions are for managing this condition,” she stated on Instagram.
The athlete urged the UK government not to cut gluten-free prescriptions.
