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Jessica Ennis-Hill says being away from her young son has been 'incredibly hard'

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Olympic star Jessica Ennis-Hill only has one thing on her mind now – returning home to her two-year-old son, Reggie. Jess, 30, took the silver medal in the women's heptathlon on Saturday, and she will soon fly home to be reunited with her little boy and husband Andy, who proudly watched her compete from the family home in Sheffield, some 6,000 miles away.  

Jessica Ennis-Hill is ready to return home to her two-year-old son Reggie

"It's been incredibly hard, I hate being away from him and I hate leaving him,” she told Good Morning Britain's Nick Dixon in Rio on Tuesday. "But knowing that I've come here and my time here has been really worthwhile and that I can go home and show him this medal makes it a little bit easier."

Following Jess' appearance in Rio, there has been a great deal of speculation about her future on the track. The sports star has previously said with some emphasis that these would be her final Olympics – but no-one knows whether it will also represent her last competition of any kind.

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The British athlete is taking time out to consider her future in sport

It's not a decision she will make lightly. "I've had some absolutely amazing years in sport and in athletics and two medals from two Olympics is incredible," she said. "So I need to just have a think and decide whether I feel that I've achieved my potential and ready to move on and focus on something new, or whether I feel there's a little bit more to come."

Becoming a mum has certainly changed Jess' approach to her sport. "Athletics was my everything, but Reggie is better than any gold medal," she previously told the Sun. "He is my priority and everything has to fit around life with him."

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Jess and childhood sweetheart Andy Hill have been married since May 2013

Jess' mum Alison Powell has also noticed a change in her daughter. "For Jess, athletics is a job now. Before it was her life. But now her life is her son," she said. "So for her it's going to Rio, getting the job done and coming back as soon as she can. Things are more in perspective for her."