"Nicole has seen me go up and down" - When Michael Phelps opened up on his wife's role amid hardships in life

Michael Phelps once spoke about his wife Nicole Johnson's role in his mental health journey. Johnson has always shown her unwavering support towards Phelps' mental health journey.

The legendary swimmer experienced brief periods of anxiety and depression multiple times. He first experienced anxiety after the 2004 Athens Games, where he won eight medals. The legendary swimmer suffered from post-Olympics depression.

Phelps experienced the same condition after the 2008 Beijing Games. The story was no different, but intense after his 2012 London Games participation when Phelps announced his retirement from his beloved sport. He suffered from anxiety and depression-filled periods even after his final retirement after the 2016 Rio Olympics.

However, throughout this period, Johnson always stood like a pillar beside him, giving the ace swimmer space to bring himself back on track. In an interview with Today.com in 2022, Phelps highlighted her contribution and said:

“For 15 years, Nicole has seen me go up and down. There’s no other person that would be able to support me like she has. She’s the glue that holds all of us together.”

Phelps and Johnson met in 2007 at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles and began dating in 2009. They got engaged in February 2015 and secretly married in 2016, ahead of Phelps' last Olympic appearance.

Michael Phelps once opened up about his views on mental health during his competitive years

Michael Phelps of the United States during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Getty Images)

Michael Phelps once reflected on his approach to his mental health journey as a competitive swimmer. He stated that he did not advocate for mental health openly then, as it might have made him appear weak in front of competitors. He also praised the young athletes who acknowledge their feelings.

"I can speak from an athlete perspective of being a male and an athlete. If I was to speak up during my career, I would feel like it would be a sign of weakness…and we’re giving our competitors that edge, and in sports or basically kind of in battle, it’s like you can’t give your competitors that edge,” he said (via healthline.com in 2022).

“I think [the stigma] is dropping a little bit and for me, it’s incredible to see that. It’s incredible to see people talking about their own journey their own way, and sharing their own stories,” Phelps added.

Michael Phelps earned 28 Olympic medals to become the most decorated Olympian.