Rebecca Adlington on antibiotics saving her life

For Olympic champion Becky Adlington, antibiotics became the difference between life and death after she developed sepsis following emergency surgery after a miscarriage.

She has joined forces with the Fleming Initiative, to raise awareness of antibiotic resistance – one of the UK’s biggest and most overlooked public health challenges.

The warning comes as resistant bacteria, often referred to as “superbugs”, continue to rise. Around 400 new antibiotic-resistant infections are reported every week in the UK, while antibiotic resistance is estimated to contribute to 35,200 deaths each year. Without urgent action to tackle overuse and misuse, even routine infections and common medical procedures could become increasingly difficult – and in some cases impossible – to treat.

Ros spoke to Olympic gold medalist swimmer Rebecca Adlington.