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One of Britain's greatest Olympians will have special motivation to complete the London Marathon today - as her baby daughter Lily will be waiting near the final line for her.

Dame Laura Kenny, who won five golds and a silver medal in track cycling, will be one of the most recognisable names joining more than 59,000 runners for the mass start at 9.30am.

And her parents Glenda and Adrian Trott will be waiting at the finish line with Lily, who is still being breastfed.

Dame Laura, one of the stars of the London 2012 Olympics along with her husband Sir Jason Kenny, the most decorated Briton with seven golds and two silvers, is running the world's greatest marathon as an ambassador for the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust.

This cause is close to her heart after she required emergency surgery when she did not know she was pregnant four years ago.

Speaking about how quickly the situation became critical she says: "Everything is happy until it's not. And when it's not it can be life-threatening."

She described how her condition deteriorated rapidly: "Things got worse and worse. I felt really, really poorly."

Within an hour of arriving at a hospital she was taken into surgery after the pregnancy began to rupture her fallopian tube.

She later lost one fallopian tube during the emergency operation: "It all happened so fast. I was lying in hospital thinking, 'what on earth just happened?'

"I really struggled. It was probably the worst Jason had ever seen me."

The mother-of-three is using the marathon to raise awareness of ectopic pregnancy and pregnancy loss, stressing the importance of recognising symptoms and speaking openly.

"We need to talk about pregnancy loss. We shouldn't be ashamed to talk about it.

"It's an experience I wish I hadn't gone through, but I did. I never really heard it before it happened to me."

The London 2012 golden couple have eldest son Albie, who was born in 2017, younger son Monty, born in 2023 and their daughter Lily, who was born last May.

Dame Laura, who celebrated her 34th birthday on Friday (APR 24), was unable to take part in the marathon last year as she was heavily pregnant with Lily, but this year is hoping to finish it in under four hours after balancing training with breastfeeding and motherhood.

"It's not about a time. It's about getting through the 26.2 miles and enjoying it. I'll be so happy if I complete it," she says.

Having spent her career dominating on the track as an elite cyclist she says running has given her a different perspective.

"I've gone from cycling where everything is about power and precision to running where it's just you and your thoughts. That headspace is really important for me at the moment."

She adds: "Exercise is brilliant for mental health. It's an escape."

*To donate to or support the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust visit ectopic.org.uk