Michael Phelps' wife Nicole opens up on the legendary swimmer being vulnerable and seeking transparency for a better and easier future

Michael Phelps' wife Nicole Johnson recently opened up on her husband's journey to vulnerability and transparency. She highlighted how Phelps' journey of willingness to embrace openness allowed them to build stronger, more supportive relationships.

After meeting in 2007 at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, the couple dated on and off until 2015 when they got engaged. The legendary swimmer and the former model secretly exchanged their wedding vows in June 2016 before Phelps headed to the Rio Olympics. Following the Games, the couple hosted a second destination wedding in October in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

They are now parents to four boys - Boomer, Beckett, Maverick, and Nico. Although Phelps' career has been nothing short of legendary, it has been marked by a wave of depression in several instances, including the 2004 phase and after the 2012 London Olympics.

His wife has been with him throughout this journey, providing him strength and support as he navigated the challenges of mental health. In a recent interview with Maria Shiver's Sunday Paper, Johnson discussed Phelps' vulnerability and the importance of open communication in their relationship.

She stated how expressing feelings and experiences strengthens their bond and helps them to let go of past challenges.

"I think the vulnerability that Michael's talking about is being able to walk over to somebody and say, 'Hey, I'm going to be vulnerable with you right now. This is what I'm feeling. This is what I experienced. And I need you to hear it.'"

She added:

"I think that's what a lot of Michael and my work together has been. Learning to let go of things that happened in the past to allow us a happier, better, and easier. future."

"I've enjoyed doing for a long time" - Michael Phelps expresses his love for journaling

Michael Phelps attends Omega House in Paris, France. (Photo by Getty Images for Omega)

Michael Phelps has been an extraordinary athlete whose unparalleled dedication has redefined the world of swimming.

Along with his extraordinary career, he has been vocal about his struggles with mental health and ways of overcoming stressful phases. In the same interview, the legendary swimmer expressed his love for journaling, stating it helped him navigate the tense episodes.

"I journal. It's something I've enjoyed doing for a long time," Michael Phelps said. "I always like getting everything out on paper and then being able to go back and look at those days and try to understand more about why they were the way they were."

"Being in the swimming world, I was constantly trying to get a hundredth of a second faster—always looking to get more out of myself so that hopefully tomorrow, I'd be better and more prepared than I was today," he added.

The accomplished swimmer has introduced the Michael Phelps Foundation which provides emotional health lessons to parents to help their kids build inner strength.