UK Olympic medallist leaves wife for woman who replaced her in Team GB She finished her training a year before the games to help her husband, who was desperate to improve on the bronze he secured in Athens, and to look after the couple's two young sons. After he won silver, Mr Dempsey paid tribute to his wife who had "sacrificed a medal" so he could win his. Nick Dempsey with his wife Sarah and sons Thomas and baby Oscar (Rex) In November, Mr Dempsey attended the British Olympic Ball at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair without his wife, but was seen arriving with Miss Mills and Miss Clark. A week later, it emerged that Mr Dempsey had left the house he shared with Miss Ayton and their children in Weymouth, Dorset. After winning his silver last August, Mr Dempsey said of his wife: "She basically let me go and fully concentrate on trying to win and she looked after everything else in life. She has been absolutely amazing. I couldn't have done it without her. There is no doubt in my mind she would have won here. She sacrificed a medal. The "Three Blondes in a Boat": Sarah Ayton (C) Sarah Webb (L) and Pippa Wilson after winning gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games (Reuters) Their marriage split followed shortly after Miss Ayton publicly hinted at a comeback for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, saying "there is a bit of a desire burning again." Commenting on the prospect of them both competing, Mr Dempsey said: "There is potential for that, but there is also the potential for a lot of problems with that - we do have two kids, and to do that would require a lot of funding and a lot of sacrifices to be made." Both Dempsey and Miss Ayton refused to comment yesterday.