Jessica Ennis Hill says she doesn’t miss competing as an Olympic champion because she’s a mother

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, the Olympic heptathlon champion, has revealed that she doesn't miss the intense pressure of striving for gold.

In a new interview. Ennis-Hill said that, while she can look back in appreciation of her athletic career, the “flip side” of her victories has left her “happy watching from the sidelines”.

“Being at the top of your game is incredible, almost addictive,” she said. “The adrenaline, the highs, the sheer emotion – there’s nothing like it. But there’s a flip side too: the injuries, the setbacks, the mental strain.”

Ennis-Hill, who secured gold at the London 2012 Olympics and is a three-time world champion, reflected on the sacrifices required to win her medals in a new interview with the i.

“But then I remember everything it took to get there – all the sacrifices,” she said.

One of her proudest accomplishments came, not on the track, but at home, with the birth of her son Reggie in 2014.

Although it meant missing the Commonwealth Games that year, she returned just 15 months later to win her third world title in Beijing.

“I was a different athlete and a different person after becoming a mum,” she said. “Coming back after that was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done.”

In 2017, she welcomed her second child, Olivia, while becoming the second woman and first British woman to receive the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Despite retiring just under a decade ago, Ennis-Hill is still a role model to many including her children. She said: “I always need something to work towards. I want to have goals, to show my kids what ambition looks like. All the things I did as an athlete, I’m still doing now in different ways.”

While both her children love sport and being active, the gold medalist confirms she isn’t a pushy parent. When asked if they will be following in her footsteps, she answered “if that’s what they want, I’ll be right behind them, but I’m not a pushy parent. I never push them into anything.”

“I truly believe that having a sport in your teenage years teaches you discipline. It’s hard missing out on some things, but it gives you a sense of identity and real inner strength, “ She continued. When I was a teenager, I just wanted to fit in. But I want my kids to know that there’s power in being different, in expressing yourself.”

Alongside winning Olympic gold and holding the British national heptathlon record, Ennis-Hill has co-founded fitness and women's health apps and authored several children’s books. Earlier this year, she partnered with Vitality to launch the ‘Walk Out to Work Out’ campaign, encouraging women to reclaim moments in their day for physical activity.