Nancy Kerrigan Shares Her Life's 'Wild Curve Ball'

'Dancing With the Stars' competitor opens up about her pregnancy struggles
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 12, 2017 11:59 AM CDT

"Life throws some wild curve balls at you," said Nancy Kerrigan this week, and she wasn't referring to the curve ball you might suspect. In a tearful interview with ABC News' Abbie Boudreau, the Olympian-turned-Dancing with the Stars competitor opened up about a revelation made during Monday's dance performance: that she endured six miscarriages over eight years following the 1996 birth of son Matthew. "It was my body. My body was failing and I don't know why," she tells Boudreau, saying she blamed herself. "You think 'what's wrong with me,' like what did I do so wrong to make this happen." The experience was a drain on her marriage, and painful for the family: She recounts telling Matthew he was going to have a sibling once one pregnancy hit 12 weeks, only to to have to end his excitement with the news "that's not going to happen."

IVF ultimately brought her the two more kids she wanted: Brian in 2005 and Nicole in 2008. She dedicated her Monday night dance to her brood, saying "never give up ... keep trying." It's not the only health struggle the two-time Olympic medalist has dealt with. In an interview with People she discussed the eating disorder she developed to "some degree" after being clubbed in the knee in 1994. "I felt like I could control [food] and nothing else. ... That seemed like an accomplishment. I'd put on makeup differently to sort of hide that I was wasting away." She credits her manager with getting her back on track, though she had a relapse years later. She's now executive producer on the documentary Why Don't You Lose 5 Pounds, which tackles the subject of eating disorders among athletes. (More Nancy Kerrigan stories.)

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