Therapy Saved My Life

The record-breaking Olympic champion reflects on his mental health journey

INTOUCH with...MICHAEL PHELPS

It’s been 10 years since swimming champ Michael Phelps began to talk publicly about his mental health battles. “I was so afraid to open up because I am a male and I was an athlete, and I felt like I couldn’t show that side to my competitors,” says the 23-time Olympics gold medal winner, 38. “I felt like I couldn’t be vulnerable.” After contemplating suicide in 2014, he sought professional help and made it his mission to help others. “Therapy has been a lifesaver for me,” he says. “For a long time, I felt like I could do everything by myself. Asking for help was challenging, but once I did, it made things so much easier.” Here, the father of four (he and his wife of seven years, Nicole Johnson, welcomed son Nico on Jan. 16 and also share Boomer, 7, Beckett, 5, and Maverick, 4) tells In Touch’s Lindsay Hoffman about self-care, dad life and happiness.

How is your mental health now? 

MP: It’s just a part of who I am. Over the last 10 years, I’ve been able to pick up tools. For a long time, I saw myself as a swimmer, not a person. Now I get to look in the mirror and see a human, not just somebody with a cap and goggles.

What was your lowest point?