Rebecca Adlington discusses ‘good cop, bad cop’ approach to co-parenting with ex-husband

Rebecca Adlington says she has a ‘good cop, bad cop’ approach to co-parenting her daughter Summer with ex-husband Harry Needs.

The 31-year-old Olympic athlete shares her five-year-old daughter with her 28-year-old ex-husband Harry – who himself is a former swimmer.

The pair happily co-parent their daughter after they split in 2016 – while Rebecca is currently pregnant with her second child with boyfriend Andrew Parsons, 31.

Opening up about her approach to co-parenting, Rebecca says people expect her to be tough on her daughter because of her strict past Olympic training – but she says she is the soft parent, hinting that Harry is the “bad cop” of their parenting double act.

Opening up to The Sun, Rebecca revealed: “We call it good cop and bad cop. When she was born everyone thought I would be the bad cop — because of my sports background, I am quite tough.

“I’m like, ‘No, let’s do it, we can do this’. That is my kind of mentality. To be a sportsperson you have to be like that.

“And I think everyone was like, ‘Bec is going to be the bad cop’. But I am definitely not the bad cop. I get told off for being too soft with Summer.”

She added: “But I can’t help it, my maternal instinct comes out and I can’t do it.”

Rebecca and Harry tied-the-knot back in 2014 but split after just 18 months together.

Earlier this year, Harry came out as bisexual and said he told Rebecca about his sexuality last year.

Rebecca has since moved on with new boyfriend Andrew who she reportedly met via a dating app – and together they are due to welcome a boy together in the New Year.

Discussing her second pregnancy with Hello magazine earlier this year, Rebecca said she was sure she would be having a boy before scans confirmed the news, saying: “I feel different this time.

“I’m bigger and I’ve been craving carbs and savoury things, not sweet things like I did with Summer.”