Former 'DWTS' & Olympic Medalist Shawn Johnson Overcame Eating Disorder

Shannon Johnson looks like the picture of health, as the Olympic athlete has made her way into the winning circle earning gold medals not only during the sporting event, but also winning the mirror ball trophy while on Dancing With the Stars. However, despite her positive attitude and infectious personality the star is opening up about the body issues that she has faced in the past.

According to PEOPLE, Johnson, who has been living her life in the public eye since she was very young says that she has dealt with body image issues in the past.

"I've kind of gone through the gamut when it comes to health," Johnson explained to Yahoo! Health. "I've hit lows with - I don't want to say diagnosed eating disorders - but eating disorders. And then I've gone the other way, where I've rejected fitness."

She also opened up saying that her time as part of the ABC competition didn't have the best effect on her self-image.

A photo posted by Shawn Johnson (@shawnjohnson) on Oct 13, 2015 at 5:26pm PDT

"When I first went on [DWTS], I was 16, and I turned 17 on the show," Johnson explained. "Going from this strict, regimented schedule to going through puberty on national TV and gaining weight, and just being kind of a huge target for criticism, was just really difficult for me."

She also explained that it was after her time on reality TV in 2009 when she gave up on working out, because she didn't really know what to do in the gym.

However, after a conversation with her former coach, she got herself back into shape.

As for why she is opening up about her issues now, she says, "I'd rather share my story than know someone else is going through what I did. It's not hard [to talk about it] anymore, just because I've gone through all of it."

According to E! News, Johnson is finally healthy, eating nutritious meals and working out, and is getting ready to wed her fiancé Andrew East, who proposed back in July.