The Netmums Podcast - S1 Ep39: Rebecca Adlington on THOSE lockdown rumours

Episode Date: June 22, 2021

Listen as Annie and Wendy chat co-parenting AND having a new baby in lockdown with Rebecca Adlington. PLUS listen up for Rebecca's parenting dating tips - hint: don't tell them you're a gold medalist... wait for them to find out

You're listening to Sweat, Snot and Tears, brought to you by Netmums. I'm Annie O'Leary. And I'm Wendy Gollage. And together we talk about all of this week's sweaty, snotty and tearful parenting moments. With guests who are far more interesting than we are. Good morning, Sweat, Snotty and Teary lot. How are you today? We are having a day of epic fails.

The tech has failed all of us. I've had a carpenter show up to do lots of sawing and hammering while we're supposed to be recording this i've had to beg him to go and get some lunch and leave us alone uh yeah it's not looking great when how has your day started so far terrible to be honest oh you've had the drama okay we need to tell everyone about this because we need the world not to have the same issue that wendy's had wendy break it to everyone i got a text message yesterday telling me there'd been some fraud on my bank account and i stupidly clicked on the link and they've emptied all of my bank accounts and i don't know what to do beyond terrible so i'm waiting for the fraud

team to call me back um but it's a bit stressful and it's really sophisticated so nobody anybody click on links ever from text messages because it's just dangerous yeah so yeah um actually Simon had a really good tip that he I think he'd read it on money saving expert one of those websites yesterday when I told him about you he said the other thing is if you have a missed call or you can see the number that the text came from don't google it and think that if loads of websites say it's safe that it's safe he said the spammers themselves are reporting the numbers are safe so that it appears on the internet that it's safe he said only ever call the number on the back of

your card which I think is a really good tip for everybody let's talk about happy things with our guests let's talk about happy things well the guests. Let's talk about happy things. Well, the good news is we have a very, very lovely guest who I've wanted to talk to for ages. And I know that lots of you people on Netmums are interested in her because you all click on any story that we ever write about her.

So without any further ado, let's introduce our gold medal winning swimmer and mum of two, Rebecca Adlington. How are you? I'm good. Better than you guys guys I feel really bad it feels like there's been a real pickup in spammy texts and things recently have you two noticed that yeah I get them all the time but I block the number as soon as it comes through and

I'm like no I block it because I'm just like I'm not going to keep having you message me well I was saying to Annie it caught caught me off guard because on brand, I was taking the kids swimming, Rebecca. So we were at swimming lessons. And you know when stuff comes through when you're doing things with your kids, you're just kind of like, oh, yeah, I'll just do that quickly. It means I didn't pay attention to what I was doing. And had I been paying attention, I think I probably would have been more savvy.

Blocking the number. Good idea. So easily done, though. It is. You get really distracted, don't you? Anyway, so, Rebecca, any sweat, snot or tears in your house so far today? You've heard about ours. More poos from the little one and things like that. No, my daughter is loving school at the minute so she was absolutely

fine this morning um happy as it's just the little one he's just in that poo eat sleep repeat phase so yeah it's great how old is he now uh 12 weeks old oh they're so tiny i know he's he's just so cute i love them at this stage they're so easy easy. It's great. They can't run away, can they? Or ask you back. How are you feeling? Because 12 weeks is very early days. Yeah, no, good. It's been one of those that's like,

I think it's easy a second time. I think with my daughter, Summer, everything revolved around her. I kind of slotted my life into her routine almost. Whereas now I'll be just tasked to slot into our routine and what we've already got going and school drop off and then that's like it's nicer in a way and I'm not as I think I'm just more chilled this time so yeah and I'm just happy we're at lockdown well kind of and being able to go out for something to eat and be a bit more normal which is great

okay because we've talked to a few people who've had babies in the middle of the really harsh lockdowns and how isolating some found it isolating and some thought it was brilliant because they could just bubble up and sit in bed and love their newborn and there was no pressure to do anything but I think I'd have been like you get me out get me to a restaurant let me do something I'm trying to do the maths in my head so was he born as we were about to come out he was born in march right yeah he was born early march so fourth of march he was born so we had about five weeks because like kind of the first lockdown was 12th of april but nothing much changed yeah no apart from the fact that i could go swimming with them both which which was lovely and amazing.

And they're both now in swim lessons again and everything. But apart from that, it's kind of changed more now. Yeah, definitely. So how was your lockdown, Rebecca? Like, obviously you were pregnant. How did you find the last lockdown? You know what? The first lockdown I really enjoyed.

And I know that's really bad to say because obviously it's a global pandemic and everyone was going through so much and obviously I kind of feel for that side of things but actually from kind of being at home it was the first time I had ever been at home which was just lovely and the weather was amazing and we just was out in the garden every single day and getting the paddling pool out and it was just we kind of all felt like we were on holiday I know that's a bit bad to say but we were a bit like no it did it was a bit kind of like that and then November one was okay because my daughter was still at school and we were finishing off we actually have stupidly decided to do a whole kitchen house extension downstairs bold move when you're pregnant it was meant to take like three four

months ended up taking eight yes that sounds about right sounds exactly like my second pregnancy and it was just a nightmare no kitchen from august till december so we were just what did you do how did you eat we had a kettle and a toaster and a microwave in the living room yeah this sounds exactly like how I did it why do we do these things I know so it was just that was set up and it was just microwave meals and toast was all we had pretty much nice nutritious pregnancy diet there it was horrific I put on so much weight this pregnancy everyone's like yeah you don't put on so much you don't look it ladies and gents I'm looking at her and she's looking gorgeous oh gosh no I just ballooned because I wasn't sure what was takeaway and bread or baby I was like oh I don't know it's a bit of both um so yeah we just kind

of rolled with it and then obviously Christmas happened and got to cook a meal in a kitchen which was just amazing and then lockdown happened again and it was just this one was really hard like just being heavily pregnant I felt awful I was so tired towards this program I couldn't survive a day without a nap I just felt drained and my daughter just constantly wanting to play and do stuff and we couldn't just be outside because the weather was awful so it was just this lockdown just seemed to have dragged and it was just yeah I did not enjoy it I was just constantly worried as well that my partner couldn't be at the birth I was just freaked out because he wasn't allowed to any of the scans or

anything like that I'd heard so many horror stories about people giving birth on their own and everything else but luckily he was able to be at the birth so that was that was good at least well and you had to co-parent and cope with pregnancy and then a newborn and let's set the record straight you had to deal with a load of tabloid stuff going on as well that you were living with your partner but also your ex-partner and your boyfriend and the cleaner and your gran and anyone else how that's a lot to contend with tell us the story Rebecca talk to us about what the hell went yes set the record straight please my rule in everything in life is do not read the newspapers ever I think that's a very wise move it's a load of crap and I just kind of think to

myself every single thing that I've written about me is a load of crap so why would i believe anything else that's written in it because it's just absolutely mad but never ever lived together during any of this harry lives 10 15 minutes away max 10 minutes probably 10 minutes um he's got his own house the lockdown rules were that you could still co-parent um so we did of course we did none of us were working so we kind of rescheduled things I had her for three days Harry had her for three days and that's just kind of how we alternated never once lived together and it's like we posted one photo that was like an old photo for one of our friends birthdays of us all together and then it became this thing and I was like everyone's posting old photos. Nobody's got new photos.

They're not going anywhere. So I'm like, of course. Yeah, and suddenly you're all living together in some polygamous nonsense. The other thing I found really fascinating about that story was, I actually thought it was a really good thing. Oh gosh.

I was like, but even if they were, like it would be a nice thing for summer if everyone was together. Like I didn't see it as a negative anywhere. I didn't think it was a very nice thing for summer if everyone was together like i didn't see it as a negative anywhere i didn't think it was a very bad thing to say it's just one of those that we all were dealing with stuff and it's like it's one of those that i get on tremendously well with harry i we have so much love and respect for one another he's a brilliant dad like couldn't ask for a better dad for summer he's amazing and so much respect for him, but I don't

want to live together. He doesn't want to live with us. And I don't want to, in the nicest possible way, like I want to live with Andy, who's my partner. I have great admiration for anyone who decouples, but still have great love and respect for each other. How do you think you've managed it? How do you think you've come out of it in such a great place um I think one of them is just we've always kept talking like I think we've we always had a really good friendship and I think as hard as it is when you split up and you go through a divorce and I think it's one of those we constantly kept talking throughout and it was like we support each other so whenever anyone needs any support kind of we both

are very ad hoc work neither one of us work nine to five so we have to be flexible with each other we have to support one another and fundamentally the reason why it works is because we 100% put summer first because it's not like one of us doesn't want to be involved we both 100% just agree on summer and what's best for summer and we've always tried to make it so we never just drop summer off at the door we don't just kick her out the car and go yeah moving vehicle bye yeah we don't do that at all we make an effort to kind of go in we have family time all the time we go on days out we make an effort to like obviously before when we're not in lockdown to go out for a meal

or do stuff together in that way because we want her to have that. We want it to be that we are going to the zoo together or whatever. And I think it's important to prioritise that family time. And it works well on my part. Andy gets on really well with Harry

and they've kind of always had a good relationship as well. And Andy doesn't try to step on Harry's toes. Harry doesn't mind if Andy has to parent Summer a little bit or tell her off. He's like, yeah, you go for it. So I think... It sounds like you're smashing this blended family business. I've got to tell you.

I think you should write a book about it. I think it would do really well. We definitely have to find our feet. It's definitely not all been rosy and happy. And there's definitely times where you get frustrated and whatever. But fundamentally, you have to put your own feelings aside. Like it doesn't matter whether I'm hurt or annoyed about anything. Summer comes first. You just kind of have to do it.

Which I guess is parenting anyway, isn't it? Oh, God, yeah. Whether you're with their dad or not, like if you've had a crappy day, you still have to make the tea and put them to bed and make sure you've got a smile on your face, right? Exactly, exactly that. So you just crack on. So talk to us about Andy, because you met Andy on Bumble, didn't you? And I've got a friend at the moment who's just dipping her toe into dating apps after a breakup. And some of the stories, oh, she's got to write a book I tell you so first of all I want to know if you've got any killer bumble stories was there some howlers and

tell us a little bit about dating as a mum and is it terrifying and how did you negotiate it do you know what I think I'm the only person ever had a good online dating experience I think to be fair I was really apprehensive about it and we joke because for so long we had two versions of how we met if anyone asked us we were like yeah we met in a bar like we would never admit that it was on a dating app and then after a while we were kind of like you know what it is funny and it is one of those that's how everyone meets now well it's just it's very modern yes it's how everybody it's just the way it is and I think I was really um not strict I was really kind of right you've

got to set boundaries or rules with online dating I wasn't going to give my number out to joe blogs if we just matched do you know what i mean it was one of those that we had to keep talking for a while um anyone that i did match with i kind of if you couldn't hold a conversation for like over three days well then no see ya but was everyone not just like excuse me you rebecca adlington do you know what no that's hilarious what did you call yourself like susan or something no i just put you just put becky and then your age that's all that comes up is like becky and no one realized who you were there was like a few people but very minimal to be fair because none of my photos were like it wasn't like that my profile picture was like me with the goggles yeah i just put very normal photos on there showing my life

and I didn't mention it in my bio as well I didn't put like swimmer or what I did or kind of a few gold medals hanging around the house yeah I didn't do any of that I just put like oh I like coffee I love the gym and I've got a daughter I just I love swimming no that would have been quite funny if I did I'm a bit good just a little bit good at it Andy it was quite funny because I was talking in my like if most people to be fair that I was speaking to spoke for the first day and then it just the conversation dried up so I was like well I'm not going to meet you if there's no conversation if we've not got any chat I'm sorry we're not we're not gonna match yeah um and Andy was like one of those he had no clue who I was and for like two weeks we were

messaging I was like okay this guy is like persistent and we've got really good chat we really get on he gets my sense of humor and then he was like oh can I have your number and I was like no let's go on Instagram if you want to move away from the app, that's fine. Let's just add each other on Instagram. And it was then when he added me on Instagram, the penny dropped. He must have felt like such a twit. And what did he say? What did he say?

He was literally like, so I've just seen your profile. And yeah, you've got Olympic medals. I was like, yeah. and it was just it was such a random thing because like I hadn't mentioned it the penny hadn't dropped before so it was just kind of like a funny moment and then it was just like he went really nervous I could tell that he went really nervous but then we carried on chatting and then it just became like he wasn't really that bothered about swimming he's more of a cycling fan so I think if I'd have been a cyclist to be like oh my god but I wasn't so he didn't really care he just loved sport and whatever and and yeah and then we met up and went on a date in Liverpool

went to junkyard golf or whatever and just straight away I just felt comfortable with him and he was the first ever date I went on from Bumble and it worked oh my god you have had a the unique dating app experience there's been no fogs no you guys need to become like the face of Bumble like they should pay you this is a great advert but I think it's because I was like if you can't chat and I didn't just want tinder's a bit just you know what I mean just one night and just a bit of fun and because I wasn't after that either I wanted I wasn't going to meet somebody that kind of was showing those signs if I was chatting to you like if you're just going to do those on chats and just want that sort of talk I was just like no delete and go and I was just not after that

I wanted a relationship I didn't want just that with a kid it It just doesn't work. So yeah, I think knowing what you want and meeting somebody that wants the same thing really helps as well. So I have to ask, was it important that he liked sport? No, not at all. Not at all. He likes football and I'm not really a football fan. I just like, I don't get it. Every game's the same to me. I know people don't get swimming, but I'm like, to be fair I like it a bit more now he supports Liverpool so at least they're good and I enjoy watching because they are good but yeah no otherwise he's like a cycling fan he's really sporty himself but no it

wasn't not bothered if somebody's not sporty I mean I've been retired nine years now it's but I bet sport must still play a big part in your life like you're doing a lot of commentating and stuff are you do you still swim yeah yeah still swim and obviously take the kids swimming and stuff like that and me and Andy have done like certain things together like as in we we did a little triathlon and stuff like that together and we note to everyone a little triathlon like that's just like a little walk in the park well we we do enjoy things like that as in like in first lockdown we would go out running together and like go out on the bikes and all that sort of stuff obviously it's a bit different now when I got pregnant and with the little one but yeah we do enjoy that sort of stuff as long as somebody's active I'm more bothered that

you live an active lifestyle than you are into sport and a sport fan, just because that's my lifestyle. And obviously I follow the swimming, but he doesn't know anything about swimming. Do you get jealous though when you're commentating? Is there like a bit of you going, oh, I really wish that was me? Or are you just well glad to be sat there in your nice warm box with a cup of coffee, not having to train at six in the morning? It so is that way. I've never missed that

period of my life like it was great and I loved it but I think it was just one of those I was so ready for a change and I was so over that period of my life do you know what I mean and it was just when I watch the swimming now I'm in awe of them and I'm such a fan and I know what I'm watching and I love what I'm watching but at the same time I don't sit there going oh I wish that was me because I had my time I've done it and yeah moved on from that now I'm guessing though that you're one of those people who isn't just good at one sport so when you do do things like a triathlon stuff like are you winning the triathlon oh no I'm terrible at everything else because I can only imagine what it was feel like for the other competitors like you've trained for months you're going to do a triathlon you get in the water you look left and

there's Becky Adlington like swimming laps past you the difference with the triathlon is the swimming's first so you get ahead and you get a head start and then actually then when you get on the bike and everyone just catches me up I'm terrible at everything else I'm literally like a fish out of water like I just it just doesn't work like I'm terrible at everything else. I'm literally like a fish out of water. Like I just, it just doesn't work. Like I've got no coordination, no other skill. I'm just, I'm absolutely terrible out of water. I'm like, what am I doing?

You were born to be a fish. Swimmers are not made for land. Like honestly, our bodies are built so differently. And it's like, yeah, we've got hyper extended knees we're all over that we're a bit like yeah it just doesn't work but I at least enjoy it that's the main thing that is the main thing and I think as a mum as well you need exercise for your me time and sort of clear your brain don't you do you know what I say this all the time like I was talking to my gym coach and I was like because he was talking about oh have you tried crossfit have you done this have you done that and I'm like

I've tried it I don't want that for me going to the gym is like my hour where I'm not looking on my phone. I've got no kids. Nothing can distract me. And I just want to switch off. I don't want to compete. I don't want to do anything of that. I just want to go to the gym and just kind of not have to think about what I'm doing. Just somebody tell me the exercise and then I'll do it. And that is all I want from life. So do you still have a trainer or do you just train yourself? I go to classes. I go to a gym called Hive and it's just, I just love the classes. Everyone's just chilled. Everyone's at different levels. Everyone just does their own thing. Like just gets on with it. Nobody's trying to compete with anyone else. And it's just like a little family. Like we all just get on and have a

laugh. And it's just like, that's just what I want from classes I don't want something serious and competitive no thanks I've done that no yeah you've had that bit of your life you've been very candid talking about your experience with anxiety and panic attacks and the fact I think it was very brave and very admirable that you've revealed that you've had therapy for that. A lot of that was down to body image, but also kind of abuse, basically, on social media. How did you come to the decision to talk about it so publicly? I mean, that's a really big thing to do. Do you know what? I'd not spoken to anyone about it. Like I hadn't told anyone and hadn't even told my mum and dad.

I didn't want to burden my family with well you don't want your loved ones to worry about you do yeah you don't and also it's a really weird thing to bring up in conversation it's like oh yeah what have you been up to this week oh well I had a panic attack on Wednesday like it's just a weird thing to kind of slip into conversation so hadn't really told anyone obviously apart from Andy and Andy was kind of like the person that I would speak to if I was having water he would kind of help me through them were they something you've always had or that they crept up on you um always had them very very rare and sporadic always very random always just here and there

very ad hoc and then it wasn't until a couple of years ago that they became more regular it was kind of a pattern every single week they were happening they're so draining when you go through them they literally wipe you out and you just feel mentally and physically just ruined and I just wasn't sleeping well I was just knackered basically um and it was just one of those that I then went walking with Andy at Christmas. And we don't do like New Year's resolutions or whatever. And we were just chatting about like the next year. And I said, you know what, I'm going to go to therapy.

And he was like, what? Where's that come from? He was so like random. And I was like, because I want to handle this. This isn't normal. I'm having panic attacks every week. I kind of just didn't really know how to address it. And I just thought, you know what, I may as well speak to somebody that knows what they're talking about, that I don't feel a responsibility

like I'm burdening them or they're going to worry about me because that's their job. And I was like, I found it much easier going to therapy. And it was one of those that I was like, you know what, there's going to be so many people going through exactly the same and that haven't spoken about it. So I just kind of put something out on social, just going, I'm nervous. I kind of didn't know what to expect. I kind of had these visions of going to therapy and sitting, laying down on a couch, like they do in the films. I was like, I didn't want to do that. And it was just, I was just nervous myself and didn't know what to expect. So kind of wanted people's advice and how they found it and kind of everything else. And once I did, it was just amazing that interacting with people and talking to people

that have been through the same thing. And it definitely took me a while as well. Like I was in therapy eight months, but it took a good kind of two, three months to kind of fully admit I was going. Like if somebody would phone me and they were like, oh, are you free tomorrow? I'd be like, oh, no, I'm busy, sorry. And I wouldn't say why. Whereas after like a couple of months, I was like, oh, I'm going to therapy. And I actually just felt so much more comfortable because I was so scared of telling somebody I was going.

And then they would ask me why. And then I'd have to talk about it. And I didn't want to talk about it because then it would give me a panic attack just talking about it right so it took a while for them to kind of feel comfortable and actually be able to say oh I'm experienced panic attacks I've got really bad anxiety I'm going to therapy and then actually when I did it just felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders and nobody cared that was the amazing thing like whoever I was on the phone to was like oh I hope it goes well it just didn't even phase anyone that was I kind of expected them

to be like why and like it'd be a big thing yeah it's a huge deal and actually yeah but no one kind of saw it in that way everyone was like oh well good for you really pleased that you're kind of getting that help and everyone was just like level about it and I was like you know what it's so much more normalized now and it's not this big thing and I'm like because people like you are helping make it normal you know we need people to speak out about it don't we and I think once you do and chatting to the amount of people that go through the same thing especially parents as well and I notice especially single parents as well that like I used to put summer to bed and I'd just be so anxious because it was the first time I've been on my own throughout the day I was so busy and I'm so like focused on her that I'd put her to bed

and it was dark and I was alone and I just had everything to think about once she was in bed and it was like I was scared of even being in my own house because I was like oh my god if somebody came in I've got to protect and everything just used to overthink overthink overthink and it was just one of those that it's nice now I get to put her to bed and I'm like oh I'm chilled it's worked then definitely definitely worked and honestly different things work for different people I don't I'm not under the illusion that it works for everybody I definitely think you've got to find the right therapist for you but I don't I'm not under the illusion that it works for everybody I definitely think you've got to find the right therapist for you but I kind of just did that I stopped having panic attacks after about five months in therapy and then it was kind of a decision that my therapist

actually said to me she was like Becky I don't think you need me anymore like I'm always here for you um she was like go live your life it's a bit a bit like, can I leave? Can I do that? Can I go without you? So did it change your relationship with social media? Because I know you went through quite a lot on social media. Did therapy help you manage that? Or did it change how you look at social media now? I think it's one of those that I've always seen the good side of social media, which is why I've never come off.

I've always seen that it gives you a voice it gives you a platform it makes you interact with really lovely people out there and especially um for younger people that followed me that were into swimming like oh I've got a gala this weekend we wish me good luck I was like yeah have an amazing time and I loved them they would follow up going I won a medal and I'm like yeah you know I like loved all that stuff on social media which is why I never ever came off um it was just baffling to me it still baffles me I will never ever understand the online trolls and the abuse people get or kind of comments on the way people look or anything like that I just don't understand when you don't know somebody I'm like it just baffles me. I won't ever get my head around that. But at the same time, I think

being more open and honest, being more authentic in social media really helps me. If anyone clicks on anything of my social media, it's just me. I don't filter or edit my photos. You're not going to see me in a bikini posing and doing all these things on my social media it's just that's just not who I am and I think just being who I am and then it kind of helped all of those people that kind of followed me that were a bit like um online trolls whatever they just unfollowed me in the end because they weren't interested in what I was posting they had nothing to abuse me about because I wasn't trying to do anything out of my comfort zone isn't that a great life lesson actually that the more authentic the more authentic and real you are no one can pick holes in you because you're just being you exactly and

I think that's just the way it is I'm not I think I just found it because it was always about my appearance and I was always like what is the way I look got to do with my swimming ability and I think if I was then to put on photos so personal as well when someone criticizes how you look it's so hard not to take that to heart because even when my kids come and say oh mummy that dress looks awful you're like oh all right then thanks and if it's someone you don't know being brutal about you it's hard to rationalize that because you know they're absolute dicks but at the same time it's really hard when it's about how you look and who you are it's really hot and the thing is you could get 10 really lovely amazing messages and one terrible one and you cling on to that one oh my

goodness do you know we ask this question about social media of every guest that we have because all of our guests are high profile and everyone's got lots of social media followers and everyone says the same thing even if you got 9 000 nice messages in a day it's the one that was mean that everyone says stays with them but that's human nature is it's in us no matter who you are even if you're at work and you got 10 good reports from your boss but one slight negative comment you would cling on to that and it's just it's just human nature that we do that and it's just one of those especially at the time I was 19 in Beijing and it was like I was so young. Gosh, I never realised you were that young. Wow. Yeah, I was like 19. You were a baby.

That is like a kind of a real pivotal age where you're kind of just starting to become a bit of a woman and everything else. It's peak insecurity age, isn't it? Because you're still deciding who you are. But also it's very different. If you go into acting or you go into singing, you kind of know what you're signing up for a little

bit you're signing up for fame but you were just a bloody good swimmer who'd ended up at the olympics it's not like you're kind of putting yourself out there as a model or a dancer or a singer you're kind of like well I just swim stop being nasty about me actually that provokes a good question when you become an olympic level athlete do you get media training do you get coached in how to handle fame and they do now okay they do now it wasn't a thing back because social media was kind of quite its infancy back in 2008 so we didn't then um but now they do which is brilliant and they do so many workshops now on kind of social media how to handle all of that sort of stuff but I wasn't

one of the lucky ones to get that but I think it's just one of those that that's why I took it so personal exactly what you've just said because I wasn't trying to be anything else and I wasn't saying like I never came out and was like I'm really pretty and I'm really thin like I know I'm not the prettiest person I'm not stick thin like I've never tried to be anything else which is why I just never understood it because I was like what and people were just so dull and boring with it like calling me a dolphin a shark or a whale I'm like at least come up with something bloody original guys like also dolphins quite a compliment yeah I'd quite like to be

compared to any of those things maybe not a shark also if you were stick thin and skinny you'd have been a shit swimmer so you know yeah we don't see many supermodels carrying home uh gold medals from olympic great at the same time it's like my body like it's kind of taking me until getting a lot older where you your your perception of your body completely changes once you have kids and everything else so now i look at my body and i'm like oh my god it's given me four olympic medals and two amazing little babies that i absolutely love and adore whereas when you're 19 you just go oh my, I've got a bit of cellulite and oh my gosh, I've got a stretch mark

and oh my God, I've got this. Whereas now I'm like, oh, it's another stretch mark. Oh, it's another thing. And you just, you're totally different with it. And even with my appearance, I mean, I don't think I've worn makeup for a year and a half. I've barely even worn a bra. I'm like, I don't care about that.

Like swimmers are just, that's the great thing that sport gives you is that perception that you don't like in swimming pool that your value isn't what you look like your value lies and your body is for other things than just other people to look at yeah but even like your appearance it's like we can't wear makeup it will just come off in the water our hairs and swim hat like you just become a bit like I don't care what I look like I'm just trying to swim as fast as I bloody can from A to B and get a medal so I think it's just one of those that it was the first time in my life everyone had really like honed in on the way I looked um and I just never understood what it had to do with the sport and everything else and it was just yeah it was just a weird time and it's one of those you can't help like I did take it

into the way I think about myself even every outfit I used to put on I was like oh my god what comment's gonna get said about this and you just become a bit everything you analyze like I used to get so nervous going on a red carpet because I was just waiting for the negativity to come in so I then stopped going to events I stopped doing stuff because I was like I just don't want the stress of why are you wearing that dress and you look fat in this and so I was just like oh god do you know what I don't need that in my life so I'll just not go whereas I've kind of come out the other stage that I'm like, why should I stop going to things? I want to put on a pretty dress and go to stuff. What would you do? So A, does Summer show any swimming prowess already? But B, what would you do if she did?

Like because of all this stuff that comes with it, would you be trying to steer her away from it? Or would you still be like, come on, let's do this? God, no. Swimming has given me way more positives than negatives i would take the online trials for every they're all the experience i mean i got to travel the world by the time i was 23 not many people can say that i met some unbelievable people and it taught me so many life lessons i learned more being part of sport than i ever did in school and that's because obviously i didn't want to be something academic. Obviously, you're not going to learn how to be a lawyer or a doctor in sport.

But it gave me so much more life lessons. And I've learned how to communicate, work as a team, everything like so much more from swimming than ever being in school. So I think anyone part of sport, you'll just gain so much from it. So I'd love her to be part of sport, but don't get me wrong. She is, bless her, she's all over the place in swimming. She loves it. And that's the main thing. I don't care because she loves it.

But my God, she's all over the place. She's got no technical ability. She's just like, yeah, I'm just having fun and just chatting. Did you show a skill and a talent for something like when you were like two no oh god no oh you were all over the place too that's heartening that's good to know oh god no I just used to talk so much like every single like swimming club I used to go to was like Becky could be really good if she stopped talking like that's all I got um because yeah I just used to talk so much but yeah I didn't until I was about

10 11 really get good um it was just that my body I shot up in height way more than other people so everyone just thought oh this girl's gonna be good because I was like five foot ten at like ten do you know what I mean it was just like I still haven't got there for god's sake like so talk to us a bit about baby stars because that's about getting kids into the water early isn't it yeah so like that's kind of I'm so lucky and I do appreciate that not every athlete retires and knows what they want to do um it takes a long old time but for me I just knew I wanted to go into grassroots sport I was like we have I think it's 1.1 million kids leave primary school unable to swim just in the UK, which absolutely baffles me. It's like the second biggest accidental death in kids.

It's like it's the statistics around learn to swim are just shocking. Absolutely shocked me. And I sat there at London 2012 and I was like, what can I do? I think I'd endorsed loads of people I tried to get the government to help swim in a lot more and then I just got to the point was like you know what I need to set up my own I need to stop blaming other people and pointing fingers and actually do something about it and set up my own program and just absolutely loved it it's just been absolutely the best most rewarding career to go into from going from being so selfish

as an as an elite athlete to everything being about me and the performance and getting medals to now seeing these kids faces light up every week going swimming and the confidence they get and teaching life skill it's just the absolute best so yeah it's just a learn to swim program from like 3 to 11 and then this Christmas we launched our baby program which was just in time for Albie come in so now I take Albie as well to be to baby lessons which is just amazing I used to love baby swimming lessons with my little girls it's such a special thing to do two of them on a Wednesday you know it's the the bit of it is as a mum you're clothed in a changing room that

is hotter than the centre of the sun every week yeah and you always get a sweaty top lip it's just bad oh gosh especially with the masks on like I'm just sweating underneath my mask constantly and I'm this I'm exactly the same you never get over that and I've spent life in a swimming pool trying to shower the kids well like not you know when you do like that arc where you're trying not to get yourself yeah okay so i really want to know what's the optimum age for them to start and then when can they stop because so i've got two kids and one is a really good swimmer like she swims competitively and the other one isn't but can he stop now when can when are they allowed to stop my rule with most things is if they can swim 25 meters unaided and do it comfortably and in an efficient manner i mean not

struggled and having to keep stop if they can fully do 25 meters you're fine as long as they could save their lives and the thing is the reason why we say 25 meters is not because you're fine as long as they could save their lives and the thing is the reason why we say 25 meters is not because you're going to fall into a pool or a river or the city and have to swim 25 meters it's just because then if there's a current they can have the ability because obviously if you fell into a lake or a river or something like that that's got a current you need to be a strong enough swimmer to be able to swim to shore with clothes on as well because obviously you're not going to be just in your swimming costumes yeah all the time are you so that's why we say 25 meters um but obviously if they enjoy it they can go on like we do stuff

that like is rookie lifeguard and they do like swim fit stuff after because not everyone wants to compete as well we need to appreciate not everyone wants to go into competition but for starting I think there's never any too early stage you don't have to wait for your jobs that is a total myth that's interesting I never knew that you don't have to wait not at all the NHS even tell you if you go on there that you don't have to wait for your jobs or anything like that really interesting yeah because it is such a nice thing to do with them and I found when I took mine swimming and they were little babies they slept so much better because I don't know whether the water was calming or knackering or both but I found the night they'd after they've been for a swim they were much easier to put to bed out cold it's so good for

them like firstly it's like even now with albie he's 12 weeks old it's the only time he stays awake he's going for a swim he's in the water he's awake everything else we do with him he's like passed out in the pram so it's nice because it gives you that real opportunity to bond with your kids because they're awake they're alert you're holding them it's kind of like really lovely experience but um apart from that like you said it's so good for their development because they get to move so freely in the water kick their legs move their arms whatever yeah it's a great thing to do your kids and my daughter absolutely loves it she more wants to play the natural swim but that's fine

I'm happy with her playing mermaids and jumping in and finding something off the floor. That's fine. I remember going on holiday last year and the year before. Can't have been last year. And we literally couldn't speak to my daughter because we had a pool where we were. And she was underwater for so long that you actually had to grab her by the swimming costume to say, do you want some lunch? Because you couldn't get those words out because she'd be back underwater I remember loving it as well so much like getting my dad to throw like foreign coins whatever country we're into the bottom and we had to scoop along and get them god it was it was the best thing on holiday I was just like best used to get to the end of the day and I'd be like prune hands on my fingers because I'd been been in the water so long and

it was like my mum never used to be able to put sun cream on me either so she just used to throw me a t-shirt I had to wear on holiday because I wouldn't get out long enough to put sun cream on it's interesting as well though because my husband was not taught to swim as a child and is still not a brilliant swimmer and so he can't understand the joy of it so whenever I'm like I don't care as long as I've got a pool don't care it will all be fine and he's like oh really really you need to get him out of lessons then he'll know I do I do but it just shows you if you gift your child the ability to swim when they're little like they'll love it for the rest of their life won't they it's so much like riding

a bike as in you'll never forget it so even if like whatever age that they can swim 25 meters they then stop swimming if they want to get back into it in their 20s or whatever because they want to do a triathlon or masses or kind of just keep fit when they're kind of a lot older they'll not have forgotten and that's the beauty of it is that it's just a skill that is just there it's always there in the background yeah so what's next for Rebecca you've launched uh Baby Stars what are we doing next obviously this summer we've got Olympics which is amazing are you going no because obviously the situation so we're doing it all from Salford in Manchester okay very similar to Tokyo Salford um obviously but yeah no so doing it from here which will just be

amazing it'll just be so nice Tokyo would be so cool yeah but you wouldn't see it yes true we interviewed Helen Glover the other day and she can't take the kids with her and she's finding that really hard because they're really little they're really little well you can't you can't take anyone with you there's no spect spectators, no fans, no nothing. And it's like, with everything going off, it's like, it's just not that safe as well. So it's just, you just wouldn't do it. And it's just really, really difficult.

But at the same time as well, I wouldn't see anything out in Tokyo because we'd have to stay in the hotel. We'd only be allowed at the studio and the hotel. So it's not like you'd even have the opportunity to go sightseeing or do everything so I'm kind of like you know what it's fine I'm at peace with it yeah Salford's the easiest closer exactly exactly so at this point in the pod we always go into our last three questions and they're always the same for every guest so don't feel put on the spot we

always ask everyone the same things first up how do you want to be remembered by your kids oh um I just want to be remembered as like that we've spent time together because I always look back on my mum and dad I'm like I can't ever even though they worked can't ever remember not being with my mum and dad like they were I always felt like we did so many like amazing things as a family like we all now look back and laugh at like family holidays and things like that and I just want to be the same with my kids that we just spent quality time together and we know each other as well and that's what I want them to know who I am who's Becky not just mum I want them to know what I enjoy and what I like as well as obviously knowing what they like so oh that's a nice answer yeah much more serious what's for tea and who's cooking oh it's

always me cooking um Andy bless him unless it's beans on toast we're not getting Andy to cook right um I didn't even know how to cook a jacket potato so no my brother-in-law didn't know how to cook a jacket potato either it's clearly a common thing serious i don't understand yeah what did they think you did with it it's kind of the clue is in that baked potato name exactly exactly whatever though but yeah no he's he he cleans up and does okay that's good we like people who clean up and does the pot. Okay, that's good. We like people who clean up. And tonight it's just really boring. I'm doing sweet potato wedges with broccoli and some chicken. Really not exciting. Quite fancy that actually.

That sounds really nice. Right. And then the last question, don't hate us, but we ask everybody the same one. Sing us the song you sing to your kids when they won't go off to sleep. I don't really sing is that bad i'm a terrible i've got no music ability in me at all andy sings and andy always sings them like he's really good but he doesn't even sing a song he just goes like um i'll be lb i love you

like he just does it like he just almost like what he'd say to them he just sings it he's just like that's all it takes go to sleep right now like he just does it in that way it's not even like it's a song at all it's just me being desperate trying to get them to sleep that's literally all it is and he's got this app on his phone that just goes shh, shh, like this, just to shush all the time. But yeah, apart from that, we don't really, I just don't sing. Well, I think it's safe to say you have talents in other areas. Oh, well, it's been lovely talking to you today. Thank you so much. And you've answered all my child swimming questions. So thank you. I feel've answered all my child swimming questions so thank you i

feel like you're my uh child swimming advisor now oh thank you i think your son will like the fact he's if he can swim 25 meters he can stop that yeah i'm gonna say i had a chat with someone who knows a little bit about swimming today and she said you don't have to go anymore no as long as they're safe and then they'll pick it up when they go on holidays. Like you say, it's fine. Well, good luck with all your newborn life and good luck with the Olympics. I'm sure it will all keep you very busy. We shall look forward to watching you in Salford. Yes, and imagining what it would be like

if you were in Tokyo. Well, it's all green screen. So it's going to picture like we are there. So you'll now know that we're not there. It's just going to seem like we're there. We know a secret now. Well, thank you ever so much rebecca it's been lovely to chat to you thank you thank you guys all right take care bye