As the London Marathon returns this weekend, Paula Radcliffe - one of the greatest British long-distance runners of all time - continues to inspire generations. A former world record holder, she faced some incredible highs, and some devastating lows, over the course of her impressive career. The resilient marathoner, 52, has gone from smashing world records and winning the London Marathon three times, to voicing the BBC's commentary for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Now, her legacy lives on through her 18-year-old daughter, who is running the London marathon for the first time after bravely overcoming a battle with cancer. In 2020, Paula's whole world came crashing down when a doctor broke the news that Isla, then 13, had a tumour growing on one of her ovaries. It was a shattering blow for her and husband and former coach Gary Lough, with whom she also shares 14-year-old son Raphael. The couple met at Loughborough University and moved to Monaco in 2005, where they have brought up their family. Paula, who is still the British marathon record holder, "burst into tears" when she was told about Isla. Her daughter was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer—a malignant germ cell tumour - and Paula spoke openly about the difficult journey they faced together during Isla's treatment and recovery. In a heartfelt interview with the Mirror in 2021, the former athlete opened up about the moment her daughter was diagnosed. She recalled the gut-wrenching experience, saying, "I was given the diagnosis that nobody wants to hear when the doctor said Isla had cancer. The doctor had asked Isla to sit in the waiting room before telling me what it was. I burst into tears but had to stop crying and pull myself together before Isla came back into the room a few minutes later. The doctor then explained the diagnosis to Isla." A few months before the diagnosis, Paula had noticed small signs that something was wrong with Isla's health, including bladder pain and unusual bleeding between periods. Paula decided to make an appointment with a paediatrician, and after scans at a hospital in nearby Nice, their worries were confirmed. Malignant germ cell tumours are rare, affecting roughly one in 200,000 women. "When we were over the initial shock and the medical team had explained everything, having that sporting background helped," Paula said. "We had a treatment plan — like all the training plans I have followed over the years — and it was something we could stick to and see things improving." The time had been particularly difficult on Paula, who had only recently lost her dad Peter after he was diagnosed with cancer at the start of lockdown. "It was really hard, preceded by losing my dad in April 2020, not through COVID at all, but that complicated matters," the mum-of-two admitted. However, the family has come a long way since then, and now Isla is preparing to run her first-ever London Marathon on Sunday , with her loved ones and supporters rallying behind her. Meanwhile, Paula recently came under fire after making comments about Steven van de Velde's Olympic selection - and wishing him luck. She argued on LBC that the volleyball player, who was imprisoned in 2016 for raping a British 12-year-old, had "served his time", likening his story to that of drug cheats. "That is a very dangerous line to go down given that we allow people who cheat in sport and take drugs in sport to then come back and compete," Paula said when asked whether Van de Velde should be banned. "As I understand it, he was 19 at the time and he's served his jail time - it's a long time to carry on paying for that mistake for the rest of your life." Van de Velde was handed a four-year prison sentence for his actions but served only 12 months. Paula later expressed her regret over her words, and wrote on X: "I am mortified that I expressed it so badly and didn't condemn the rape out loud. I do believe in second chances after serving punishment but think the Olympics should be for those who uphold the ideals (that's why I poorly brought the doping comparison in). "I myself am shocked and disappointed at how I expressed this so badly," she wrote, adding: "I really apologise for the way I phrased this. The utter condemnation of the crime in my head went without saying but I should have clarified that. Instead I poorly jumped to explaining why it would be great to exclude all who betray ideals but legally not possible." Away from sport, Paula spends time sight-seeing, baking, and exploring the world with her family. She wrote for The Telegraph in 2016: "I've lived in Monte Carlo in Monaco for more than a decade - it is a great place to bring up children. I first visited the city while attending international meets in my early 20s. I love waking up to the beautiful blue of the sea of the Côte d’Azur and yet also being close to the mountains. You have the best of both worlds, an interesting friendly city, with lots to see and do." Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .