Three-time Olympic runner Suzy Favor Hamilton admitted Thursday that problems with her marriage and bouts with depression led her to start working as an $600/hr escort during the last twelve months.
Favor Hamilton, 44, was outed by the online publication The Smoking Gun as having worked as “Kelly Lundy” for a Las Vegas based escort service, and having traveled to Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles to meet with clientele.
“I realize I have made highly irrational choices and I take full responsibility for them. I am not a victim here and knew what I was doing,” Favor Hamilton posted on her Twitter account Thursday after her story was made public. “I do not expect people to understand, but the reasons for doing this made sense to me at the time and were very much related to depression.”
The runner added that her husband, who she lives with in Wisconsin, along with their seven year old daughter, knew about her work as an escort and tried to get her to stop. “He wasn’t supportive of this at all.”
Favor Hamilton never won an Olympic medal, but earned seven U.S. national titles and a record nine NCAA titles at Wisconsin as a middle-distance runner in the 1990s and early 2000s. She is also the namesake for the trophy given to the Big Ten female athlete of the year.
“I cannot emphasize enough how sorry I am to anyone I have hurt as a result of my actions and greatly appreciate the support from family and those closest to me. I fully intend to make amends and get back to being a good mother, wife, daughter, and friend.”