Hayley Lewis is Winning Her Body Demons

Photo by Richard Freeman

At the age of 15, Hayley Lewis was on a rapid rise to fame, sparked by a five gold medal win at the 1992 Commonwealth Games in Auckland which solidified her status as the nation's swimming darling. Yet, media reports she was "heavy legged" and cruel taunts from team-mates about her size saw her victories overshadowed by a 20-year battle with weight and low self esteem - and ultimately cut short her career in the pool.

"I knew I'd put on a bit of weight, but as a 15 year old who'd never worried about that in the past, I suddenly became self aware," Lewis, now 35, tells WHO. Gaining 15kg within two years from comfort eating, a self-conscious Lewis hated full-length mirrors and comparisons to her swimming peers. "That was one of the reasons I retired in '96. It just got too hard for me to go to an Olympic games and be up on the blocks with these fantastically fit girls from every other country."

It wasn't until she became a parent for the first time to son Jacob in 1998 that she began working to overcome her body image demons. "Becoming a parent, suddenly there was a new focus," says Lewis, who turned to Jenny Craig to lose weight and returned to the pool with a renewed confidence in 2000. Now a size 8-10, Lewis admits she has "good days and bad days, like everyone" when it comes to her physique - she loves her stomach but battles with her hips and thighs. And her new "dream gig" hosting Ten's The Biggest Loser has given the mum to Jacob, 11, and Kai, 6, with physiotherapist husband Greg Taylor, a renewed appreciation of her body.

"Maybe if I'd gotten a handle on my weight issues, I could've had a few more years of my swimming career," she says. "But I don't lose sleep over not winning a medal - hosting this show is better than any medal I could possibly win. Seeing how positive the contestants are about their transformations has made me proud for where my body has gotten me."

The Biggest Loser website

For the full story on Hayley, and to meet all 2010's Biggest Loser's, see this week's WHO magazine, on sale Friday, Jan. 29.