Rebecca Adlington claims her marriage failed after 18 months because Harry Needs ‘idolised’ her achievements

The couple announced their split last year following 18 months of marriage 
Short-lived: Harry Needs and Rebecca Adlington split after 18 months of marriage
PA
Amy Harris11 July 2017
The Weekender

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Rebecca Adlington said her marriage broke down after 18 months because husband Harry Needs “idolised” her Olympic achievements.

The Olympic swimmer, 28, has revealed that Needs started to question whether he wanted to be with her for who she was rather than for what she had achieved in her career.

“He was younger than me, he saw Beijing and really idolised me,” said Adlington in a candid interview with the Radio Times.

"We were dating for a long time and Harry had to step back and say, ‘I have to figure out whether I like you or whether I like you because of everything you’ve achieved.’ He wanted to make sure he was with me for the right reasons.”

Adlington wed long-term boyfriend Needs, 25, back in 2014 but the pair announced that they were separating just 18 months later.

The former couple, who have a two-year-old daughter together, have insisted that they have remained “close friends” despite the breakdown of their marriage.

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The TV sports pundit said that she was reluctant to join dating apps such as Bumble as men would only want to date her because she’s famous.

Adlington claimed that most people she matched with would “just want to go on a date so I can say I’ve been with Becky Adlington .”

Following the breakup, Adlington said she has received a number of jibes about her appearance.

“That was probably one of the toughest [moments], actually, because your heart is broken anyway,” she said.

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