British swimming legend Rebecca Adlington has been married to Andy Parsons since 2022 after her failed marriage to her ex-husband, Harry Needs. Details explored.
Rebecca Adlington is a famous former British athlete. She had a short but successful career in swimming.
The retired swimmer represented Great Britain in two Olympic Games, four World Championships, two European Championships, and one Commonwealth Games.
She claimed 35 medals across all competitions.
Away from that, her love life and family have often made headlines. In October, news broke that she had lost a child for the second time, per SkySports.
This tragic news pushed fans to want to know more about who she is married to, her current husband and ex-spouse. Here’s everything we know about her personal life.
Who is Rebecca Adlington married to?
English former competitive swimmer, Rebecca Adlington has been married twice and is currently in her second marriage.
The names of her first and second/current husbands are Harry Needs and Andrew “Andy” Parsons.
At age 25, Rebecca tied the knot with former swimmer Harry Needs in 2014.
The duo’s relationship did not last as things went sour after just 18 months of union, resulting in their separation in Marich 2016.
At the time, the news about their split made headlines, and that pushed her to come out to clear the air. She confirmed it and revealed the chilling reasons behind their divorce.
She disclosed that the reason her marriage failed was because Harry had to work out if he liked her for who she was or what she had achieved.
Speaking frankly about the split, Rebecca said her ex “idolised” her and questioned his motives for getting down on one knee.
She added: “He wanted to make sure he was with me for the right reasons.”
At age 29, she found new love and married 28-year-old property manager Andrew Parsons in August 2022 after introducing him to her fans and followers on December 3, 2018.
Who is Harry Needs?
Just like Rebecca, Harry Needs also had a career as a swimmer. He was born in London, England, where he lived and trained as a competitive swimmer during his educational years.
He studied physical education, art, design technology, and interactive computer science while swimming at an international level.
As mentioned earlier, Needs and Adlington were married for more than a year before they separated. At the time, they relocated to Manchester.
On June 21, 2020, Needs revealed he’s bisexual. Speaking on a Q&A on his Instagram, he told his fans: “This is a question I’ve avoided every day of my life so far, mainly because I strongly dislike labels despite not knowing a solution to avoid them.
“But if I had to answer I would people that I’ve always been bisexual #ahh.”
After his marriage to Adlington, Needs embarked on a new career as a Personal Trainer, while also participating in a part-time BA (Hons) Graphic Design Degree.
Before Harry Needs and Rebecca divorced, the pair were parents of one. They had a daughter, Summer, who was born in June 2015.
Speaking on Summer’s birth, Adlington said: “It was the most weird and incredible experience, when the midwife put Summer on my chest for the first time, it was surreal.
“The relief that came over me was incredible.”
Although they have split, Adlington and Needs continue to co-parent their daughter Summer together.
Who is Andy Parsons?
Andy Parsons is four-time Olympic medallist, Rebecca Adlington’s new husband.
The duo have been married since August 2022. The marriage took place on a stunning private estate in Cheshire.
Rebecca was accompanied down the aisle by her six-year-old daughter Summer, who is from her first marriage to Harry Needs.
Summer acted as a flower girl and ring-bearer for her mother, who surprised her new husband by playing Tom Odell’s Grow Old With Me as she entered the ceremony.
Rebecca met Andy on the dating app Bumble in 2018.
They were already parents before marrying. They welcomed their first child, a son named Albie in March 2021.
They were expecting again, sharing the news in September this year, but tragically their daughter Harper was stillborn.
Rebecca, 34, wrote on Instagram: “I don’t really have the words right now but unfortunately we went for our 20-week scan this week and they discovered no heartbeat.
“I gave birth to our angel, Harper on Friday at 7 pm. We held her, and had time with her.
“We will forever love and remember her always.”
Becky thanked the staff at Wythenshawe Hospital for caring for her and praised partner Andy for his “selfless support, love and help” and said she “couldn’t have survived without him”.
The loss of Harper comes after they had previously lost another unborn child through miscarriage at 12 weeks last year (in 2022).