“Disney really screwed me up” - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up on her misconceptions on love

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once reflected on the misconception she had regarding love. She believed that love was simple, similar to that of a fairytale, but through her own experiences, she realized that relationships don’t work that way.

A part of this realization came after being in a relationship with an old high school boyfriend. Despite ending things from her side, she kept returning to the relationship emotionally because she looked for comfort from her ex-boyfriend during a period of low confidence.

In her book Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, McLaughlin-Levrone also reflected on how the ‘Disney’ representation of stories contributed to her youthful misconceptions on love. She remarked:

“Throughout middle school and high school, I would imagine what it would be like to build a life with boys I knew. If a guy was cute and personable, I would play through different scenarios in my head, wondering if at last I had found ‘the one’. Disney really screwed me up in that way. They made it all look so simple: you meet a boy, you fall in love, you get married, and you’re basically a princess.”

Although McLaughlin-Levrone broke up with her high school boyfriend in 2016, she later visited his college to ask whether there was a way for them to restart their relationship. After he replied, “I don’t think so”, she was heartbroken and left without hearing him fully. They never spoke again.

Later, in 2020, she found love again when she started dating Andre, now her husband. The following year, Andre proposed to Sydney in a grand setting in August, shortly after her successful Tokyo Olympics, where she won two gold medals and established a world record in the 400m hurdles. They married in May 2022 in a vineyard wedding.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s husband Andre on his nerves when the Olympian races

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and husband Andre Levrone (L) (Photo: Getty Images)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s husband, Andre, recently reflected on his nerves when the track star competes in the 400m hurdles. He said that while he believes she is the best hurdler in the world, the obstacles still make him nervous. On the Jinger & Jeremy Vuolo podcast, Andre stated (32:06 onwards):

“I'm always a little bit just nervous. I think she's the best hurdler in the world not just by time but by efficiency over each hurdle too, but the hurdles are still an obstacle. So, whenever she runs a race where there's no hurdles, I'm a little more calm…I handle it better I guess now than when we first got together.”

During the podcast, he further called his experience at the 2024 Paris Olympics as ‘indescribable’. Both Andre and Sydney’s family members were present at the Stade de France, the track and field stadium in Paris, to cheer on the hurdles star.

While Andre and company sported 'Team Sydney' t-shirts, his sister also brought a crown to Paris, which she made for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone after she won gold in the 400m hurdles at the Games.