Wife of rugby legend missing 'presumed dead' after wild swim

The wife of Scotland and Lions rugby legend Scott Hastings is "presumed dead" after she vanished while wild swimming. Jennifer Hastings disappeared while swimming in Wardie Bay, off the coast of Edinburgh on Tuesday.

Despite a huge emergency services operation to search for Ms Hastings which involved the coastguard, the RNLI and helicopters there has been no sign of the 60-year-old and the coastguard was stood down on Tuesday evening. Police confirmed they were still looking for Ms Hastings on Wednesday evening, EdinburghLive reports.

In a heartbreaking statement Ms Hastings' family said she had been "unable to cope on this occasion". “As many of you know Jenny struggled with her mental health for a number of years and ultimately she was unable to cope on this occasion,” they said.

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“It appears that she wished to end her suffering in what was a regular and healing place for her. She loved the water but unfortunately, her mind was not in a place of safety. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.

"The Hastings family are absolutely heartbroken. We miss our Jenny. She leaves a gaping hole in all our hearts and hope that she is returned to us safely so that we can celebrate her remarkable life.”

The couple are ambassadors for the charity Support in Mind Scotland and they campaigned to help others with their own mental health. Scott Hastings, alongside his brother Gavin, cemented himself as one of Scotland's greatest-ever rugby players. Playing as an outside centre, he won 65 caps for his country and represented the British and Irish Lions twice.

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