Clara Hughes: How menopause "cracked me open"

(MIS)Treated · Oct 29, 2026 · 52m

Clara Hughes is the only athlete to win multiple medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. But what the world didn't know was that as a child, she started smoking in grade 3 and by 12 years-old, she was drinking and partying. Why? In "Learning to Breathe: A Memoir" she writes about how pain had become a badge of honour, and how as a former elite athlete, she felt menopause as "an extra betrayal". She also shares some childhood secrets that were uncovered after she spent two years in intense and - what some could - consider as unconventional - therapy. We spoke to her in a…