Rebecca Adlington Champions Family Safety with Hyundai “Rest Drives” Campaign

Local TV Sport

Rebecca Adlington has navigated life beyond the pool with the same determination and focus that brought her Olympic glory. Since retiring from competitive swimming in 2013, the double gold medallist has forged a varied career in broadcasting, advocacy, and family life.  Away from television, Adlington has championed causes close to her heart. She partnered with Hyundai on the “Rest Drives” campaign, designed to help families find calmer ways for children to nap safely in cars. The initiative offered 24-hour test drives of the KONA Electric, promoting awareness of child sleep safety and highlighting her commitment to practical solutions that improve everyday life for parents and children.  https://www.hyundai.com/uk/en/rest-drive.html

Transcript

00:00Rebecca Allington has navigated life beyond the pool with the same determination and focus

00:07that brought her Olympic glory. Since retiring from competitive swimming in 2013, the double

00:14gold medalist has forged a varied career in broadcasting, advocacy and family life.

00:20She's become a familiar face on BBC Sport, providing commentary at major events,

00:25including the Paris 2024 Olympics, where her emotional reaction to Adam Peaty's silver medal

00:30reflected the depth of her connection to the sport.

00:35Away from television, Allington has championed causes close to her heart.

00:40She's partnered with Hyundai on Rest Drives' campaign, designed to help families find calmer ways

00:47for children to nap safely in cars. The initiative offered a 24-hour test drive of the Kona Electric,

00:53promoting awareness of child sleep safety and highlighting her commitment to practical solutions

01:00that improve everyday life for parents and children.

01:04So Becky, just tell us a little bit about the campaign you're involved with and how it sort

01:09of resonates with you personally.

01:13Yeah, well, straight away for me, I think you can just naturally relate when you're a parent.

01:18It's one of those that we've all been there. Sleep is the most precious thing in the world,

01:24I think, in general, let alone when it's just then you're becoming a parent.

01:28So I connected with it straight away. And I thought just, A, I'm an EV driver.

01:35So I have been for the past five years. And Albie, my little boy, has never known anything

01:41other than an electric car. So I guess in that sense, it works. But I've been driving

01:47the Kona car as well recently, and it is a fantastic car, I will say that. So the fact

01:53that they are offering parents the 24-hour extended test drive, I think, just gives parents

01:59peace of mind. Because I think when you're looking for a car as a parent, it's one of those

02:04that, yes, you want it. I'm a bit more like, oh, as long as the color's all right.

02:08I don't know. I'm a bit one of those. But you have got to think when you're a parent,

02:13okay, can the car seats go in? What's the space like? Is there enough room in the booth

02:19or prams, et cetera? All these different things that you've got to contemplate as a parent

02:24and as a family, are we going to fit everything in? Is it going to be comfortable for the children?

02:28So I think having that extended 24-hour test drive really gives parents that peace of mind.

02:35It's not a rush then decision. They get to really test it out. And especially with nap

02:40time. I mean, it's absolutely crucial. My little boy, I used to schedule everything

02:45around my kids' naps. It was like, we are traveling at this point because that's when

02:51they need to nap. And both my kids have been really, really good nappers. So I wasn't surprised

02:55because it's just, you'll do anything for your kids to sleep. And it just makes it so much

03:01easier, so much easier. Her sporting achievements remain extraordinary. At the Beijing Olympics

03:08in 2008, she claimed both the 400 metre and 800 metre freestyle, becoming Britain's first

03:14female Olympic swimming champion since 1960 and setting a world record in the 800 metres.

03:21She followed this with bronze medals in the same events at the 2012 London Games, cementing

03:25her status of one of Britain's finest swimmers.

03:28Brilliant. We, from a very small town. So in Mansfield, we, there wasn't much to do, but

03:35we had two swimming pools. And we were very, very lucky because I do know a lot of places

03:40across the UK don't have access to a swimming pool. And yet we had, we actually had a few.

03:45So we were very, very fortunate in that aspect. So it became the thing that we did as a family.

03:50It was at weekends. We would go swimming. I wanted my birthday parties at the swimming pool.

03:55It just became a lifestyle thing for just the family. My sisters both swam and trained. They

04:02both stopped when they were mid-teens, but I carried it on. So yeah, they were really supportive.

04:09They got it. Like they were just, yeah, my biggest cheerleaders.

04:12In her personal life, she has embraced motherhood and recently announced pregnancy,

04:20describing it as a small miracle after previous losses. Through her advocacy, media work and

04:26resilience in both sports and family, Addington continues to inspire. Her journey from Olympic

04:32champion to role model shows how she has adjusted to life beyond the pool while maintaining the same

04:39dedication that brought her global acclaim.

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