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Tracey Neville reveals she suffered miscarriage day after England Commonwealth gold

The former England head coach is pregnant again and taking a break from the sport

Jack Rathborn
Tuesday 24 September 2019 11:24 BST
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Tracey Neville has revealed she had a miscarriage after England Commonwealth gold
Tracey Neville has revealed she had a miscarriage after England Commonwealth gold (Getty)

Tracey Neville has revealed she suffered a miscarriage a day after guiding England to a first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal last year.

The former netball coach stepped down as head coach after leading her side to third at the World Cup in July, but secured history by inspiring the Roses to their first major title in 2018 by prevailing 52-51 in a tight contest against Australia.

"I had a miscarriage and then I went into a three-hour media fest to celebrate what is something that I'd been waiting something like 30 years for," Neville told BBC Breakfast.

"You think to yourself: 'This can't be right.' You see other ladies who have been through traumatic situations take time off work, but I just wasn't willing to do that.

"This was my family, this was my commitment. I didn't want to miss this journey that the Roses were on because, in a way - and it's awful to say - the Roses were my priority."

The 42-year-old announced earlier this month that she is pregnant, with Jess Thirlby her England successor, but Neville still hopes to return as part of the Roses set-up.

"Yes, I want the opportunity to be part of the Roses," Neville added. "What capacity that looks like I don't know.

"It might not be in the next year as I need this time out but netball has been part of my life since I was five-years-old and it's something that I want to be part of whether that's at national or international level. I still have aspirations."

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