‘Forever in our hearts’: Tributes left on beach where tragic wife of Scottish rugby legend Scott Hastings disappeared
FLORAL tributes have been left for the wife of rugby legend Scott Hastings who is feared dead after she disappeared while wild swimming.
Jenny Hastings, 60, went missing in the waters off Wardie Bay in Edinburgh on Tuesday.
A major multi-agency search operation was launched involving police, ambulance and coastguard crews after she vanished at around 2.45pm.
The search was then stood down after 8pm after she wasn’t found.
Jenny’s heartbroken family last night said she is presumed dead after the search.
A statement from the family said: “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.
“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.”
Heartbreaking tributes have now been paid to Jenny on social media following her disappearance.
Former England rugby player Brian Moore wrote: “This is so painfully sad for all concerned.
“Words are simply inadequate on occasions like this.”
Former Labour MP for Edinburgh North and Leith Malcolm Chisholm said: “Such sad news about Jenny, wife of Scott Hastings and one of my former constituents.”
West Lothian Lib Dem councillor Sally Pattle said: “Such sad news, Jenny’s courage in speaking out about her mental health was her strength. All thoughts with Scott and the Hastings family.”
Floral tributes have also been left at the beach where Jenny disappeared.
Several bouquets were tied to the fencing on the waterfront, with a note from the community of Wardieburn which read “forever in our hearts”.
Jenny had previously opened up on her struggles with mental health.
She told how she had been battling depression when she attempted to take her own life in 2014 and when she went missing for over 24 hours a few years later.
Scott and Jenny both became ambassadors for charity Support in Mind Scotland and devoted work to helping others with their own mental health.
- Do you need help? Call the Samaritans on 116 123 or go to www.samaritans.org
They helped launch their 100 Streets Challenge to help people boost their mental health through exercise.
Scott Hastings won over 65 caps for the Scotland rugby team, and is one of the national squad’s greatest ever players.
At the point of his retirement, he was the country’s most-capped player ever, but this has since been overtaken by Ross Ford.
His brother Gavin is widely regarded as one of the best ever Scottish players, and his nephew Adam currently represents the country.