Lindsey Vonn got candid while speaking with MSNBC reporter Nicolle Wallace about her mental health journey.
The 37-year-old athlete was a guest on the network’s limited series Deadline: Special Report, where she noted she was diagnosed with depression.
‘I was diagnosed with depression and given medication and I still resisted therapy because I still thought there was nothing wrong with me. And there is nothing wrong with me!’ she emphasized.
Vonn initially spoke publicly about her depression while speaking to People back in 2012, but she says the topic needs to be normalized.
The Deadline series focuses on America’s mental health crisis, and will feature sit-downs with other celebrities like Taraji P. Henson and Rosie Perez.
About her diagnosis, Lindsey told Nicolle: ‘I really only went to the doctor because a friend of mine had been diagnosed with depression and had really similar symptoms.
‘I went in like, “I’m just gonna get this done with so I can confirm that I’m fine. Everything’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with me,”‘ she admitted.
The Olympic gold medalist noted that there’s still stigma surrounding conversations about mental health, particularly in the sports industry.
‘It’s viewed as you can’t be a strong athlete if you’re depressed. You can’t be strong and have weakness,’ she detailed.
Vonn, a native of Minnesota, acknowledged and praised athletes like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka for prioritizing their mental health.
Lindsey also talked about her late mother, Lindy Anne Lund, who recently died following a battle with ALS.
She noted her mom’s ability to remain positive about life, even as she was dying.
‘When she was diagnosed with ALS she was very sad, obviously – it’s terminal. She cried and then the next day she said, “Today is another great day.”
‘And every day since then she said, “Today is gonna be a great day.”‘
She added, ‘She was dying and she was positive. When you think about your own struggles, I’m like, “How could I not be positive? How could I look at the bright side of everything like my mother did?” Because if she can see it, then I certainly can.’
Vonn was recently on The Kelly Clarkson Show, where she talked more about her mom’s impact.
Taking to Instagram, she teased in a caption, ‘Check out my segment on the @kellyclarksonshow today! Talked about my Mom, my book, my insomnia and got in a cooking competition with my friend @chelseahandler and @wolfgangpuck.’