"Why did I change who I really am?" - When Michael Phelps recalled the aftermath of a life-changing letter

Michael Phelps once revealed writing a letter to his inner child, which changed his life. The American swimmer appeared to regret having changed from his carefree personality and suggested that writing the letter changed his perspective.

Phelps struggled with mental health issues in the latter part of his glorious career, being charged with a DUI arrest in 2014 as well. He was struggling with severe depression at the time and subsequently started therapy and treatment.

Speaking during an appearance on "Undeniable with Joe Buck" in December 2015, Phelps revealed that writing letters had helped him release some of the feelings he had kept to himself. He also revealed that once he wrote a letter to his inner self, questioning himself over why he had changed from his childhood self.

"I wrote a wrote a letter with my left hand to my inner child... because that was the kid that didn't care about what anybody else thought about them, they were themselves," Michael Phelps said.

"I found myself one day um one day after that I was like you know what I was like why did I do that why did I change who I really am you know, I don't know if I was somebody different because of what I've done, but I think right then and there is when I just started showing more of really who I am and not caring you know just sort of being completely open," he added. [43:00 onwards]

The 23-time Olympic champion has been vocal about mental health struggles and is active in spreading awareness about the same. He also helped US Olympian Shaun White realize his struggles with depression.

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Shaun White's shocked reaction after Michael Phelps made him aware of his mental health struggles

Michael Phelps during the 2025 SheBelieves Cup - Source: Getty

Speaking in an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2022, Michael Phelps claimed the first time he felt he was in control of his emotions was at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The American swimmer said he felt other people had been struggling with similar mental health issues, and one of them was former Olympic Champion Shaun White.

"For me, the first time I would say I was in control of it (depression) was in ’16 in Rio...But I also felt like I could see other people struggling who weren’t quite aware of what that struggle actually was," he said.

"I had Shaun White sitting next to me at a gig. He basically turned to me and was like, “Oh my god, that’s depression? Woah. That’s what I’ve been feeling?” Michael Phelps added.

White, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in half-pipe snowboarding, also acknowledged Phelps' role in an interview with CNBC that same year.

"That really blew me away...It takes so much courage to actually talk about it. It’s not a weakness," he said.

Michael Phelps retired from swimming following the 2016 Rio Olympics with 28 Olympic medals to his name, a record that's unlikely to be broken anytime soon.