Last winter, Jessie Diggins won the first individual World Championships gold of her career. But the past few months have been tough for the American cross-country skiing star.

“After twelve healthy years, I have been struggling with my eating disorder,” Diggins writes on Instagram.

Jessie Diggins has been among the world’s top cross-country skiers for many years. Last winter, she took home the first individual World Championships gold of her career. But the last few months have been very tough for the American.

On her Instagram, she talks about her challenging summer:

“I have something I’d like to share with all of you. This summer, after 12 years of being in great place of health, I’ve been struggling with my eating disorder. I’m doing much better now thanks to everyone around me, including my team, but I wanted to share because this isn’t a picture-perfect recovery story – it’s real and raw and messy, and that’s ok,” the American writes, pointing out the importance of asking for help.

Diggins credits the team around her, including the national team, the medical team, and family and friends, who have helped remind her of the importance of prioritizing her mental health as much as prioritizing physical health:

“This is the exact reason why I work with such an awesome support team when things feel great and have built a super strong safety net so that if something happens, it’s there to catch me. This summer, I’ve had to lean on my teams a lot; my ski team, medical team, family and friends, and this has reinforced the importance of prioritizing mental health as much as I prioritize my physical health,” Diggins writes, concluding: 

“Right now, I ask for your respect and trust that I’m putting my well-being first and foremost because my team and I all agree that a healthy and happy life is the primary objective.”

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