Rebecca Adlington: 'my sister's brush with death inspires me' It's quite simple: if I don't do well, there'll be no Olympic Games for me. In a way, these trials will be harder than the Games themselves because not to qualify would be just awful. I'd probably cry for four days. No one expected Adlington to succeed like she did in 2008. Indeed, before selection for the Olympic squad, she had enrolled on a teacher training course, assuming she would go back into education. So what was it that inspired her to greatness? My motivation was Mum and Dad [Kay and Steve], and everything they'd sacrificed to help me achieve my goals, and my sisters - particularly Laura, who became ill when she was 17 and nearly died. She's an inspiration. Her determination to live saved her life. If ever I think I don't feel like getting up and going in the pool, I just have to think of her and the determination she showed. Laura, now 24, became gravely ill after contracting encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in 2005. Adlington recalls being with her older sister Chloe, 27, watching Laura and praying for her to get better. I remember seeing my dad crying his eyes out and my mum virtually hysterical. Doctors were rushing around, and all we could hear were machines bleeping. They wouldn't let us see Laura and we thought it was because she'd died. Laura slowly recovered, but Rebecca was so moved by her sister's plight that she has become a patron of the Encephalitis Society. Some things you go through change you, and my sister's illness certainly did that. It made me more determined. It makes me train harder. Adlington trains every day except Sunday. She has two-hour swimming sessions twice a day, starting at 5am, as well as long runs, gym sessions and pool fitness sessions at Nova Centurion Club, near her home in Nottingham. Then there is her carefully controlled diet. I eat little and often - lean meats, a little fat, healthy carbs like fruits and vegetables - and I drink loads of water. You need vast amounts of food as a swimmer, and I know I can't let my body go without or the training will suffer, but I'm a big girl so I have to be careful with food. I can't eat too much or it shows straight away. Adlington is slim and attractive with gentle features and ice-blue eyes. She has long, toned supermodel legs. She says she's extra body-conscious because she spends so much time in a swimming costume in public. I'm a size 12 and have big shoulders and huge calves. How many people that size would be seen in front of millions in a swimming costume? It can be hard at times, but I grew up swimming and wandering around in a costume, so I guess - to some extent - that I'm used to it, though I think most women will identify with me when I say it's slightly daunting to be parading round in front of millions in a swim suit, goggles and hat. It's harder for a woman. A guy doesn't get comments on his weight or his looks like a woman does. People expect women to look good, even if they're in the public eye for reasons other than their looks. That can be hard sometimes. It's added pressure. When comedian Frankie Boyle famously described her face as like "someone who's looking at themselves in the back of a spoon," Adlington admits she was hurt. "I got my agent to make a formal complaint about it at the time," she says. But when I think about it now it doesn't bother me. He's a comedian; he says things like that to make people laugh, and I've often laughed at comedians being rude about other people, so it's hypocritical of me to complain about it, really. Having won gold twice, she could be forgiven for wanting to concentrate on a more restful occupation. Why does she want to do it all again? London 2012. That's why. It will be incredibly special; I really want to be a part of it. I want to prove that I wasn't a one Olympics wonder. Adlington admits that, although victory at Beijing felt great, she found the ensuing expectations of her difficult. Suddenly she was spokeswoman for swimming, her country and the Games. I'd never really thought about the commitments that go with winning a gold medal - all the people you need to meet and events you need to attend. I celebrated by going to loads of parties and - of course - put on weight because I wasn't training as much. It took a while to get myself back and training properly. I've learnt a lot since Beijing. A lot about me has changed. One thing she has to cope with is the new burden of expectation. She was unknown in Beijing, "Miss Nobody" as she puts it. Now suddenly, I am the one to beat. I'd be lying if I said that didn't add pressure. How does she deal with it? Simon Middlemass, psychologist to the British squad, has helped her to understand that in the water, she just has to do what she's always done and ignore outside distractions and pressures. So much of swimming is about being in the moment and giving the best you possibly can in those few minutes in the pool. That obviously means you have to be in the best psychological state, so it can help to have someone to help you prepare yourself mentally. In addition to the psychological preparation, she has her own personal "control system." This is going to make me sound mad, but I'm fairly OCD about numbers. I hate odd numbers, they all have to be even. If I click my fingers once, I have to do it again, so it's even, then I have to do it on the other hand, so it's two hands, two clicks. I don't feel right otherwise. Before a race, I have to do the right number of clicks. The other thing I do is to change my costume for every race, unless I've won, then I have to wear the same one. In Beijing, I wore the same costume all the way through because it was lucky after I'd won gold once. The costume is now at her mum's house with the medals, tucked inside a red Christian Louboutin dust bag. With a bit of hope and a lot of hard work, I'll have others to add to it soon. Competitive sport is extremely pressurised, so Adlington makes sure she spends time away from the pool enjoying the cinema, reading, doing jigsaw puzzles - spending time with her boyfriend Harry Needs. He's a swimmer as well [at national level], so it's worked out perfectly - he understands the focus and sacrifices I have to make. She is passionate about encouraging more people into the pool. Swimming is a great sport: you don't get injured and you can do it all year round. It's the sort of sport you can do all your life - even when you're pregnant, and it's very good for the joints so you can do it when you're older. "You use 350 calories in 30 minutes" swimming, and use every part of your body - it's a great sport. Get swimming. Rebecca Adlington is a British Gas ambassador. The British Gas Swimming Championships 2012 (selection trials) run from March 3-10 at the London Aquatics Centre www.swimming.org/britishswimming/2012trials What is encephalitis? Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain, usually caused by a viral infection, although it may also be the result of the body's own immune system attacking brain tissue. It differs from meningitis, which is inflammation of the protective layers that cover the brain. Symptoms depend on which areas of the brain are affected, but usually encephalitis begins with a flu-like illness or headache. More serious symptoms develop hours or days later. These include a high temperature, nausea and joint pain, followed by confusion, drowsiness, seizures or changes in personality and behaviour. Suspected encephalitis is classed as a medical emergency, usually requiring immediate admission to hospital. Treatment includes anti-viral medication, steroid injections and drugs to stop the immune system from attacking healthy tissue. Some sufferers experience long-term complications such as memory loss, epilepsy, difficulty concentrating and extreme fatigue. Encephalitis is a rare condition, with an estimated 4,000 cases a year in the UK. Those most at risk are the very old and the very young, whose immune systems are weaker. Measles mumps and rubella (German measles) are all viruses that can cause encephalitis, so the MMR vaccination is the best way to protect your child against it. Sarah Rainey