Nicola Adams was the first female Olympic boxing champion ever on record, earning the title back in 2012, but her career ground to a halt after her pupil was left torn and damaged in a fight seven years afterwards. The star was warned that if she ever fought again, she was likely to lose her sight altogether – and now she has shared an update on that perilous injury.

Talking exclusively to Express.co.uk, she reassured readers: “It’s fine now – it’s totally healed.”

That said, she admitted it was the sole reason she decided to end her boxing career, after advice from a doctor on the risks of continuing.

She had previously told Jonathan Ross that, after tearing in two places, her pupil didn’t “close in the way that it should”, leading to fears that she would never fully recover.

Nicola admits she was “absolutely gutted” to leave the industry after that fateful last fight with fellow boxer Maria Salinas.

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However, the bonus side of retirement for her has been the freedom to eat exactly what she wants, having previously been limited to a strict healthy diet regime.

It has also left her with more time to spend with her son Taylor, who was born last summer.

Despite being the first woman ever to achieve an Olympic gold medal for her boxing achievements, Nicola is adamant that it’s the birth of her baby son which she classes as “the best thing ever to happen to me”.

She told us: “There have been ups and downs with sleeping, but it’s been real fun.”

Meanwhile, she added that she and girlfriend Ella Baig are dead-set on having “a big family, probably four children”.

Nicola is so invested in the health of little Taylor that she recently chose to embark on a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of perilous respiratory conditions in early life.

She is now working with Sanovi on the Together Against RSV campaign to fight Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

“As a first-time mum I am really conscious of protecting my baby against illnesses such as RSV,” she confided, adding that “educating yourself on the signs and symptoms to look out for is the first step”.

She’s keen to “ensure other parents are aware of what to look out for so they can feel prepared when their baby falls ill and know the appropriate next steps to take”.

Fortunately, Taylor has always been healthy, but the virus is surprisingly common, with almost all infants under the age of two contracting it.

However, 30,000 youngsters are hospitalised with it each year, as it can lead to serious complications, including croup, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia.

One sign that the situation could be urgent is seeing the muscles underneath a child’s ribs move, as it is a warning that they find the exertion of breathing difficult.

Parents who want to empower themselves with the facts in order to be prepared for any potential health crisis can visit the Together Against RSV website.

Meanwhile, Nicola also spoke to us about being totally nonplussed during her school days that she was “the only girl in the boxing club”.

Despite fighting exclusively against boys, due to the low take-up of boxing among girls in those days, she was undeterred and confident.

She is proud to have recently received a ‘Paving The Way’ MOBO Award, as she is “not even in music”, and to be able to “represent women who look like me”.

Once patronised and told she was “too pretty” to box, she went on to break records and achieve sporting success on her own terms.

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