Olympic swimming star Rebecca Adlington says she is planning a quick return to work after she has her first child in the summer.

The gold medal winner, 25, who retired after the London 2012 games, is due to give birth in June, but she wants to continue building a career as a television presenter.

The 25-year-old, who fell pregnant on her honeymoon with new husband Harry Needs, told the Mail on Sunday: "I'm planning to work through my pregnancy provided everything goes well.

"Women have been having babies for millions of years so there's no need to wrap yourself in cotton wool. I'm due on June 4 and the World Swimming Championships are in early August, so I'd love to be ready to work by then.

"There are some great female sports presenters who manage to combine work with children. Sharron Davies is a mum and Gabby Logan brought her two kids with her to the Glasgow championships."

Adlington, who has been swimming competitively since she was a child, won two freestyle golds at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and two bronze in London four years later.

The Mansfield-raised athlete was made an OBE in 2009 and appeared on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! last year.

She added: "As an athlete I'm used to pushing my body and putting up with pain but, as far as childbirth goes, I've never experienced that kind of discomfort before. I hope my sports training helps, but I'm not sure ..."

ends