A body has been found in the search for the wife of rugby legend Scott Hastings, who disappeared while wild swimming in Scotland.
Jenny Hastings, 60, disappeared on Tuesday afternoon after going swimming with her family in the Firth of Forth in Edinburgh. She said she had been struggling with her mental health for a number of years.
A large-scale search was launched in the Wardie Bay area, by boat and helicopter, but rescue efforts were suspended on Wednesday.
Police say a body was found in the Hound Point area of South Queensferry at around 3.20pm on Saturday afternoon.
Formal identification has yet to take place, but Jenny’s family have been informed. There are no suspected suspicious circumstances.
Jenny Hastings disappeared earlier this week during a wild swim in Edinburgh
Scott and Jenny Hastings on their wedding day
The Hastings family previously said they were “devastated” by the news of her disappearance. Jenny (pictured here with her husband Scott)
The Hastings family previously said they were “absolutely devastated” by Jenny’s disappearance and that her loss would leave “a huge hole in our hearts”.
The mother of two had previously attempted to end her own life and said this week’s disappearance was being “treated as a high-risk missing persons case”.
The family wrote in a statement released Thursday: “As many of you know, Jenny struggled with her mental health for many years and ultimately, this time, she was unable to deal with it.
‘She swam from Wardie Bay in Edinburgh into the Firth of Forth and it appears she wanted to end her suffering in a place that was a permanent, healing place for her.
‘She loved the water, but unfortunately her mind was not safe.
“The Hastings family is devastated.”
The statement was signed ‘sweetest regards’ and attributed to husband Scott, Corey, Daniel, Kerry-Anne and Ian.
This is evident from an old message on social media that shows Jenny swimming in exactly the same place where she disappeared.
The photo, shared on X in March, shows her bathing in Wardie Bay, Edinburgh, on a bright and sunny day.
An image shared on social media shows Jenny Hastings swimming in Wardie Bay, Edinburgh in March
Pictured: Rescue workers search for Jenny Hastings in the Firth of Forth on Tuesday afternoon
Emergency services were called at 2.45pm on Tuesday after a wild swimmer went missing after ending up in the Firth of Forth (Picture: Coastguard rescue teams)
An intensive search and rescue operation was launched in the Firth of Forth on Tuesday afternoon, with coastguard helicopters zigzagging over the estuary in a desperate attempt to locate the vessel.
Rescue boats were also deployed to the water to search for Mrs Hastings. Shortly before 3pm, emergency services were alerted to a ‘report of concern’.
Jenny previously spoke about her long-term battle with severe depression.
She has suffered from the disease all her adult life and has previously attempted suicide.
The couple had previously revealed that she had attempted suicide by eating nuts in an attempt to trigger a severe allergy, and Mr Hastings had to give her an adrenaline injection to save her life.
They also revealed that she once ‘panicked and ran away’ and walked about 25 miles from Leith to the Pentland Hills in 36 hours before going to a police station.
She had no phone with her and made no attempt to make contact, while her husband desperately searched for her.
A large-scale search and rescue operation was launched after Jenny was unable to reach the Wardie Bay shoreline with the rest of the group (pictured: a helicopter flying overhead)
The search continued with a police presence in Granton Harbour (pictured: a boat searching for the missing woman)
Mrs Hastings said of the incident: ‘It’s awful to think about, but the reality is I just wanted to get away.
“I wanted to be alone. I thought no one wanted me around anymore. It’s just awful, it’s a terrible disease.”
Mr Hastings is one of Scotland’s finest players, having played 65 times for his country and twice for the British and Irish Lions.
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