Back on his feet. Michael Phelps opened up about his past demons during an upcoming interview on the Today show, which is set to air on Wednesday, April 27.
In the sneak peek, the 22-time Olympic champion looks back at his two DUI arrests and how his mother, Deborah Phelps, feared for his life.
"I think my mom was happy that I was alive because I think she saw the sort of the path that I was going down," Phelps, 30, tells Today cohost Matt Lauer in the preview. "I think a lot of people close to me saw it. And I was going fast. Fast. Honestly, at one point I felt like I didn't want to see another day."
Phelps began to spiral out of control back in 2004. The now dad-to-be (fiancée Nicole Johnson revealed in November 2015 that she's pregnant) pleaded guilty to drunk driving in November of that year and was arrested again in September 2014 for DUI. He checked himself into rehab that October.
Last month, Phelps opened up about turning his life around during the U.S. Olympic Committee's media summit in L.A. "Obviously there were a lot of things that I needed to fix," he told Us Weekly and other reporters on March 8. "It’s pretty crazy how big of a change I see from not having a drink … I see a complete change in how I am day to day. [I’m] completely clear-headed."
"I’m actually happy every day," he added. "I’m actually able to be productive every day. I think that’s something that I am very proud of and, you know, I think when I do retire I’ll be able to look back and say that [rehab] was something that really helped."
Phelps' full Today show interview airs on Wednesday, April 27.
