Victoria Pendleton announces split with husband Scott Gardner after five years of marriage
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Victoria Pendleton has announced that she and husband Scott Gardner are separating.
The Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant broke the news on social media, telling fans they'd tried hard to make their five year marriage work.
In a statement last night, 37-year-old Victoria wrote: "After 10 years together I am very sad to say that Scott and I have grown apart.
"Despite our best efforts in trying to make our marriage work, we have come to the decision to go our separate ways. It has been an extremely difficult time and a tough decision to make.
"We want to look ahead to the future and stay positive. We would both gratefully appreciate our privacy being respected as we navigate what is a deeply personal time for us."
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(Image: Getty)
Victoria tied the know with sports scientist Scott in 2013.
The pair were introduced when Scott became a coach for Team GB cycling an he and Victoria spent years hiding their relationship from their teammates.
It was deemed unprofessional for two members of the same team to be romantically involved and Scott left the coaching role in 2008, after Victoria said their relationship caused tension among team-mates.
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After retiring from cycling, Victoria retrained as an amateur jockey.
She spoke of her ambitions during an interview with the Evening Standard in 2016, and said she had considered freezing her eggs to have children later.
"I do see myself having children at some point, I suppose, but I keep getting involved with stuff that I enjoy doing,” she said.
"Scott and I are both so ambitious with what we want to do with our lives at the moment that kids aren’t in the picture now.
“I haven’t thought too much about freezing my eggs before, but who knows? It’s quite a good idea and I wouldn’t rule it out,” she added.
(Image: Tim Goode/PA Wire)
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In May this year Victoria attempted an ill-fated climb up Mount Everest alongside TV presenter Ben Fogle.
After declaring it had been the 'maddest thing on her bucket list,' was forced to pull out of the challenge after suffering oxygen deprivation at 21,000 ft.
Speaking to the Radio Times as she recovered in UK, Victoria revealed she was suffering from depression after being left 'psychologically and physiologically' damaged.
"It’s really put me through the wringer, and that has been harder than any disappointment about not making it up to the summit. It’s like I’ve taken a real battering. I’ve never felt so overwhelmed with illness," she said.