Olympic swimmer and BBC Sports presenter Rebecca Adlington talked about her recent diagnosis before asking followers to sign a petition for gluten-free prescriptions

BBC Sports star Rebecca Adlington reveals health condition as she asks fans for help(Image: Instagram)

BBC Sports presenter and Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington revealed she was diagnosed with coeliac disease in a new video shared on Coeliac UK’s Instagram page. The 36-year-old Olympic swimmer talked about her recent diagnosis before asking followers to sign a petition for gluten-free prescriptions.

As shared on the NHS website, coeliac disease is a condition where your immune system attacks your own tissues if you consume gluten, damaging your small intestine so your body isn’t able to properly take in nutrients. Some symptoms include stomache aches, bloating, indigestion, constipation, fatigue and diarrhoea. Gluten can be found in pasta, cakes, breakfast cereals, most types of bread, some sauces and more.

Rebecca was recently diagnosed with coeliac disease(Image: Instagram)

In the video, Rebecca said: “Hello everyone. As someone newly diagnosed with coeliac disease, I have definitely quickly learnt how vital gluten-free prescriptions are for managing this condition.

“But in some areas, these prescriptions are totally being cut. Coeliac UK is handing a petition to Number 10 to make sure we’re heard, so please sign and share the petition today.”

In the caption, Coeliac UK revealed the petition is now closed and revealed they reached an outstanding 22,826 signatures. The page continued: “On Wednesday 19 March, we delivered the petition directly to 10 Downing Street, presenting our call for action to the UK Government.”

She also asked fans to sign a petition(Image: Instagram)

They also wrote: “The petition, supported by individuals from across the UK, highlighted the importance of protecting access to gluten free prescriptions for people with coeliac disease, particularly those most in need. Among those taking part in the hand-in were supporters with first-hand experience of seeing support withdrawn in their areas.”

Followers took to the comment section to praise the charity for their work, with some sharing support for Rebecca. One wrote: “Yes @beckadlington thanks for helping to raise awareness. Gluten-free food should be affordable and accessible to EVERYONE who needs it.”

“So good to have someone famous helping to raise awareness. Well done Becky,” one said and another added: “Awesome to have @beckadlington backing the campaign! What a role model! Thank you Becky.”

Last year, Rebecca opened up about the heartbreak she suffered following the tragic death of her stillborn daughter.

The Olympic gold medallist admitted that she “hated [her] body” and that she “couldn’t help blame herself” following her third child Harper’s still birth in 2023 at 20 weeks.

“It was very hard for me to accept. I’m very logical so I wanted to find out why this had happened, but the post-mortem [in May] showed there was no reason; sometimes things just happen.”

“I have to come to terms with that somehow and stop obsessing about it,” she said to The Sunday Times.