At Cambridge, her college crew were Head of the Cam in 2003, before she moved onto the World Class Start talent identification programme run by UK sport, and based at Rob Roy Boat Club.

[2] In 2004, she made her international debut, winning a gold medal in the Coxless IVs at the World Under 23 Regatta in Poznań, Poland with crewmates Natasha Page, Beth Rodford and Alison Knowles.

Watkins partnered Annabel Vernon, and they came in fourth place, having won the World Cup series earlier that season.

[10][11] In August 2015, six months after the birth of her second child, Watkins announced her intention to return to competition, and to target the 2016 Rio Olympics.

[12] Had she been successful, she would have been the first mother to represent Great Britain in rowing, and possibly the first woman to compete in consecutive Olympics whilst having two children in between.

In February 2016, she announced that she was pulling out of the British Olympic rowing programme for Rio 2016, citing her performance, saying "This is not a decision that I've taken lightly.

"[13] In September 2009, she married Oliver Watkins, a part-time rowing coach, who was studying for a PhD in engineering at Cambridge, where the couple met.