Rebecca Adlington has shared the deeply emotional story behind the birth of her long-awaited daughter, revealing that her beloved grandmother passed away on the very same day her “rainbow baby” arrived.
The former Olympic swimming champion, 37, welcomed her third child with husband Andy Parsons on February 28 after enduring two devastating miscarriages over the past three years. Their daughter, named Thea Joy Parsons, represents what Rebecca described as a powerful “full circle” moment for their family.
The couple are already parents to two-year-old son Albie, while Rebecca also shares daughter Summer, eight, with her ex-husband Harry Needs. But the journey to welcoming baby Thea was anything but easy.
Sharing the news with fans on Instagram, Rebecca revealed that the baby’s middle name carries a heartfelt tribute to her late grandmother Joyce, who died on the same day Thea was born.
She wrote that the entire journey had been an emotional whirlwind: What a rollercoaster this whole experience has been. Three years, two miscarriages, 39 weeks carrying our magical rainbow girl, and 87 hours in hospital.
Rebecca continued by explaining the poignant coincidence that forever linked two generations of her family. Thea Joy Parsons arrived on 28th February, the very same day my nana, Joyce, passed away. A true full circle moment of life. Joy is a nod to her, and we know Thea will bring us all so much joy.
The proud mum added that the family are overwhelmed with gratitude that their daughter is home safe and healthy. She also sent a message of support to others still hoping for their own “rainbow baby,” saying they were thinking of families still on that journey.
In the touching announcement, Rebecca told followers simply: “Our family is complete.”
She accompanied the post with the first glimpse of baby Thea resting peacefully in her hospital cot, while her family formed heart shapes with their hands around the newborn.
The Olympian also shared sweet images of her children meeting their baby sister for the first time, along with a tender moment of husband Andy cradling the newborn as they prepared to leave hospital.
Friends, fans and fellow athletes quickly flooded the comments with messages of love. Fellow Olympian Greg Rutherford wrote a simple but heartfelt message: Massive congratulations. Meanwhile Kelsey Parker added: So special, congratulations. Olympic swimmer Jazz Carlin also sent her love, writing: The most amazing news, congratulations to you all! Hope you’re feeling ok, sending lots of love.
For Rebecca, the joy of welcoming Thea comes after years of heartbreak. In 2022 she suffered her first miscarriage at 12 weeks after being diagnosed with a molar pregnancy, which required emergency surgery.
A molar pregnancy occurs when abnormal cells grow in the womb instead of a healthy foetus.
The following year brought another devastating loss when the couple discovered during their 20-week scan that their baby had died. Rebecca had to give birth to their daughter, whom they named Harper.
Opening up about the painful experience on This Morning, Rebecca admitted she struggled deeply in the aftermath.
She explained that she felt anger toward her own body for not warning her something was wrong. She said it had been incredibly difficult returning home after giving birth, still looking pregnant despite losing the baby, adding that she found it painful to look at herself in the mirror.
Rebecca reflected that despite her body having delivered two healthy children and helped her win four Olympic gold medals, she still struggled to understand why it had let her down during those pregnancies.
Andy also shared his perspective as a partner supporting someone through miscarriage. He explained that his role was immediately to focus on supporting Rebecca, but admitted he later realised he had struggled to process the loss himself.
He said the couple eventually sought help through baby-loss charity Petals, attending counselling sessions together to talk about their daughter Harper and work through their grief.
Andy added that while the mother rightly receives much of the support, partners also experience the loss and often struggle in silence.
Now, after years of heartbreak, Rebecca and Andy say the arrival of baby Thea Joy marks a new chapter — one filled with healing, remembrance, and hope.
