Tracey Neville revealed she suffered a miscarriage a day after steering England to a first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal in netball last year.
Neville, who stepped down as England head coach after overseeing their third-place finish at the World Cup in July, led the Roses to their first major title in 2018 as they edged out hosts Australia 52-51 in a dramatic final.
"I had a miscarriage and then I went into a three-hour media fest to celebrate what is something that I'd been waiting something like 30 years for," Neville told BBC Breakfast.
"You think to yourself: 'This can't be right.' You see other ladies who have been through traumatic situations take time off work, but I just wasn't willing to do that.
"This was my family, this was my commitment. I didn't want to miss this journey that the Roses were on because, in a way – and it's awful to say – the Roses were my priority."
The 42-year-old, who has been succeeded in the England job by Jess Thirlby, earlier this month announced she was pregnant.
