Lindsey Vonn reveals she had 'body image issues'

Lindsey Vonn

Former American Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, 36, recently spoke about her past struggles with the pressure to lose weight which harmed her sporting career.

In a virtual interview with entertainment portal Access Hollywood, the four-time world champion explained, "I had a lot of anxiety and body image issues when I came on the red carpet because I was, you know, 30, 40, 50 pounds heavier than everyone that I was standing next to…There were definitely moments where I sacrificed a bit of my skiing career, especially after the Olympics. I lost weight because I felt like I needed to fit in and that cost me World Cup wins, that cost me an overall title."

The Olympic gold-medallist recently hit back at critics for trolling her over swimsuit pictures.

"I've posted quite a few swimsuit pics lately, which is scarier than it seems. Even as an athlete there are ruthless comments and media stories that tear apart my body and I admit it sometimes hurts me," she wrote. "I'm a normal person and sometimes I slouch, my stomach folds over, my cellulite shows on my butt, or I don't fill out my swimsuit top just right…But, I always remember how my body has helped me achieve amazing things in my life and I am proud of how strong I am. I'm not a size zero and that's perfectly fine with me."

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